| Abstract: |
Coastal lagoons play a critical role in the processing of land-derived nutrients on their transit from watershed to coastal ocean. However, these systems are vulnerable to rapid changes in population, land use, and associated nitrogen (N) loads. As a response to these impacts, lagoons frequently exhibit a shift in the dominant autotroph and nature of nutrient processing that may ultimately affect water quality. In light of the myriad stressors to lagoonal communities, we developed an innovative, management-focused watershed and lagoon modeling tool to understand how changing landuse affects nutrient loads, and how receiving waterbodies respond to these changing loads. Amendments to predictions of nitrogen loading budgets to include restoration and mitigation technologies will be emphasized in this presentation. Interactive stressors of increasing temperatures and sea level rise will also be explored. |
