Sunset over a coastal marsh. Photo credit: Gulf of Mexico Alliance Governors' Action Plan P riority Issues : N utrients & Nutrient Im p acts 

# Nutrients & Nutrient Impacts Priorities for Productive Marine Ecosystems The determination of healthy levels of nutrients is an important step toward reducing their impact, and providing vital management tools. Establishing nutrient criteria for coastal waters and estuaries could improv e their quality and productivity, but the challenge is to eliminate only the excess nutrients while maintaining adequate levels to ensure ecosystem productivity. The Alliance is providing a colla borative approach to build and evaluate tools needed to redu ce excess nutrients and restore coastal waters that have been negatively impacted by nutrients. 

### Long-term Goals Design a regional proc ess for comparing nutrient criteria across coastal and estuarine waters ◦ Develop and implement strategies that reduce nutrient inputs and hypoxia ◦ Establish a comprehensive ecosyste m approach to manage nutrient inputs and reduce impacts to

coastal ecosystems ◦ Increase the capacity of Gulf coastal communities so that nutr ient impacts are better managed

and reduced ◦



### ACTIONS Nutrients 1: Nutrie nt Characterization
Action: Implement regional nutrient characterization st udies to evaluate ecosystem responses and to develop the tools for better characterization of nutrients in coastal waters. Expected Results: Nutrient impacts are adequately characterized to establish key ecological relationships, thresholds, and socioeconomic values for state-selected indicators. ◦ Integrated models are designed and used to estima te nutrient loads, esta blish goals, and predict

the ecolo g ical and socioeconomic impacts of mana g ement decisions for the Gulf States. ◦ Improved science and management tools are empl oyed to better understand how freshwater and

wetland systems influence nutrient impacts. ◦



### Nutrients 2: Nutrient Criteria Development
Action: Identify common state needs and priorities for th e development of nutrient criteria and provide support and technical assistance to facilitate a regional ap proach to nutrient cr iteria development and management. Expected Results: Milestones are established for state-specific Nu trient Criteria Development Plans for all Gulf States. ◦ A consistent framework exists for the development of appropriate and protective coastal nutrient

criteria. ◦ Regional forums are organized for communication and resource sharing to address nutrient

pollution to coastal ecosystems. ◦
Nutrient criteria are establishe d for at least one Gulf estuary. ◦ 

## Pa g e 1 of 2 Gulf of Mexico Alliance: Priorit y Issues: Nutrients & Nutirent Impacts

7/22/2011 http ://www. g ulfofmexicoalliance.or g /issues/nutrients.htmlBarataria Bay salt marsh, Jefferson Parish, LA. Photo credit: Gulf of Mexico Alliance Governors' Action Plan 

### Nutrients 3: Hypoxia
Action: Coordinate strategies and prov ide guidance to better characte rize hypoxia and the resulting socioeconomic impacts. Expected Results: An integrated, regionally -comparable model that predicts hy poxia and its impacts is developed. ◦ Watershed nutrient reduction plans are complete an d include strategies for reducing Gulf hypoxia

in state-selected priority watersheds. ◦ Nutrient reduction plans for at leas t five project areas are developed. ◦ A partnership between the Alliance and the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient

Task Force is formed to implement nutrient reduction and monitoring strategies within the Mississippi River Watershed. ◦



### Nutrients 4: Nutrient Reduction Strategies
Action: Develop management tools and implement nutrient reduction activities in cooperation with local communities to reduce excess nutrient inputs to estuaries and coastal waters. Expected Results: Awareness of the ecological and socioeconomic im pacts of nutrient pollution and prevention is significantly enhanced. ◦
There is an increase in access to information documenting nutrient reduction progress for Gulf

States and partners. ◦ A nutrient reduction strategy te mplate is developed that can be applied to Gulf of Mexico

watersheds. ◦ Additional partnerships with upstream states are formed. ◦ 

### Highlights of Governors’ Action Plan Accomplishments Gulf of Mexico Alliance Water Quality / Hydrodynamics Model Database (zip, 707kb) Primer on Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico (pdf, 9.65mb) (top)

Revised May 09, 2011 | Questions, Comments? Co ntact Us | Report Error On This Page Site Hosted by the Northern Gulf Institute 

## Pa g e 2 of 2 Gulf of Mexico Alliance: Priorit y Issues: Nutrients & Nutirent Impacts

7/22/2011 http ://www. g ulfofmexicoalliance.or g /issues/nutrients.html