Eutrophication

Eutrophication is a phenomenon of abnormal increase of phytoplankton and degradation of water quality caused by excessive input of nutrient loads (nitrogen and phosphorus).

Eutrophication may lead to red tide occurrences and hypoxia (oxygen depletion) in the sea. Because of dense population in the NOWPAP coastal area, increased input of nutrient loads in household effluent and wastewater from industries, and agricultural fertilizers to the sea area may give negative influences to the marine environments.

CEARAC Activity

CEARAC developed a common procedure (NOWPAP Common Procedure) to assess the eutrophication status in selected sea areas in each NOWPAP member state. CEARAC also applies remote sensing technique to detect potentially eutrophicated areas in the NOWPAP region. In addition, Global Eutrophication Watch, a planetary scale tool for assessment of coastal eutrophication developed based on the NOWPAP Common Procedure is introduced on the CEARAC website.

Eutrophication leads to numerous environmental issues, including deterioration of water quality, oxygen depletion, and disruption of ecosystem balance. At NPEC, artificial satellites are used to identify and assess signs of eutrophication as part of environmental conservation efforts in the NOWPAP marine area.View details→

Global Eutrophication Watch is a web application that allows for the preliminary identification of water body eutrophication (or oligotrophication) based on the amount of phytoplankton (chlorophyll a concentration) estimated by satellite sensors that capture the color of the sea. It determines whether the levels are “high” or “low” and identifies trends as “increasing,” “unchanging,” or “decreasing.”

Browse the application

For detailed instructions, see the left panel on the page. You can select “Language” in the panel.