A Beginner's Guide to Water Management—Nutrients

Florida LAKEWATCH


Abstract

Nutrients are substances required by all organisms for growth, and they are found in every aquatic system. Nutrients are also the object of much discussion by lake management professionals and the general public who are concerned about the influence nutrients sometimes have on the growth of algae and/or aquatic plants in lakes. Written for the lay public, this information circular is an ideal reference booklet for students and/or professionals interested in water management. Thirty-two pages in length, with plenty of supporting graphs and photos, Circular 102 is divided into four segments:

  • a basic introduction to algae, phosphorus and nitrogen;
  • discussion of the concept of limiting nutrients;
  • conceptual and mathematical tools that can be used to achieve water management goals;
  • appendix.

Note: Circular 102 is available in Portable Document Format (pdf) only. It can be obtained as a single PDF file by clicking on the "Printer Friendly Version" link above (file size = 1.5MB).

Keywords:

Algae, methods used to measure algae, the role of algae in waterbodies, When Are There Too Many Algae?, Algae and Fish Kills, Health Concerns, biological productivity, chlorophyll, empirical models, limiting nutrients, logarithmic scales, phosphorus, total phosphorus, nitrogen, total nitrogen, trophic state, TN/TP ratios, suspended solids, dissolved solids, hydraulic flushing, and aquatic macrophytes.