Predicting Nitrogen and Phosphorus Concentrations using Chlorophyll-a Fluorescence and Turbidity

Introduction High sedimentation and nutrient loading is a major issue leading to undesirable water quality conditions, especially in extensive agricultural systems (Turner and Rabalais 2003). Eutrophication in both inland and coastal systems has shown to be deleterious to aquatic ecosystem functioning (Dodds and Whiles 2010). Controlling excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen can slow eutrophication, but is difficult due to their ubiquitous presence in the landscape. With the development of regional and state specific nutrient criteria to meet EPA regulations and promote well-functioning ecosystems and maintain waters for designated uses, monitoring efforts will be an essential need for water quality programs and will aid in better understandings of nutrient movement across the landscape over time. In the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV), high ranges in observed nutrient conditions can be even more challenging to understand as they may often produce desirable ecological communities (FTN Associates 2007). There are hundreds of small water bodies scattered across the MAV, and, because of this abundance, monitoring each individual body can be expensive and impractical. Predicting nutrient concentrations through monitoring of alternate parameters may provide a way to reduce such costs.