Photo of the beach in Port Aransas, Texas

Schweppe Lecture Series

Dr. Sybil P. Seitzinger

Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University - The State University of New Jersey

Thursday, February 27, 2003, 7:00 PM
University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Visitor Center Auditorium

Nutrients Flowing to the Sea: Man’s Impact on Coastal Ecosystems

Humans have dramatically altered the natural cycles of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and silica) on the earth, resulting in considerable environmental degradation. Coastal ecosystems worldwide are receiving increased nutrient inputs originating from human activities. This nutrient enrichment in coastal ecosystems contributes to algal growth, alteration and loss of seagrass habitats, an increase in the extent and duration of low-oxygen “dead” zones, harmful algal blooms, and coral reef degradation. Nutrient enrichment is also increasing the emissions of nitrous oxide, a trace gas in the atmosphere that contributes to global warming and to the destruction of stratospheric ozone. Nutrient inputs coincide with the global distribution of human population and their food and energy needs.

Dissolved Nitrogen from Watersheds Entering Coastal Systems

(units: kg N km^-2 watershed y^-1. From S.P. Seitzinger and C. Kroeze 1998)

The human population and industrialization will likely increase markedly over the next 50 years, particularly in Southern and Eastern Asia, South America, and Africa. The impacts of this projected growth on human and ecosystem health and environmental quality warrants development of global models to forecast nutrient input into coastal ecosystems.

Dr. Sybil Seitzinger is Director of the Rutgers/NOAA Cooperative Marine Education and Research Program. She has been a Visiting Professor at Rutgers University, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences since 1994. She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Rhode Island School of Oceanography, and then worked as Senior Scientist and Curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Dr. Seitzinger serves as a Scientific Expert for the UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in Paris, France.

The free lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in the Visitor Center of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, and the public is invited to attend. Dr. Seitzinger's visit to the Marine Science Institute is part of the Laura Randall Schweppe Endowed Lecture Series in Marine Science.

Modified:: Monday February 03, 2003