Nutrients and Their Impact on the Canadian Environment

📖 The Scoop

The purpose of this report is to determine the extent to which nutrients derived from human activities may be impairing Canadian environments, contributing to quality of life concerns, or endangering health. The report examines the role of nutrients in the context of plant growth, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus derived from human activity. It describes the nitrogen & phosphorus cycles and the sources of nutrients from municipal waste, industrial discharges, agriculture & fisheries, forest management practices, and atmospheric deposition & transport. The report then reviews the effects of nutrient addition on terrestrial ecosystems, lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and groundwater; the direct & indirect toxic effects of nutrient addition, including nitrogen toxicity of aquatic & terrestrial plants & animals and the role of nutrients in contributing to toxic algal blooms; the scientific rationale for management of anthropogenic nutrient sources, with reference to best practices in Canada & other countries; and emerging issues such as the use of runway de-icers at airports, forest fire retardants, agricultural intensification, municipal biosolids disposal, aquaculture expansion, and the siting of wastewater treatment plants. The final chapter offers conclusions on the impacts of nutrients on Canadian environments, the sources of nutrients, knowledge gaps, and future prospects for the environment. A glossary is appended.

Genre: Science / Chemistry / General (fancy, right?)