Phosphorus inputs and eutrophication on the Florida reef tract

The Florida Reef Tract (FRT) has experienced dramatic change and loss of coral cover during the past decade following many decades of intense human activities on the south Florida watershed. Comparative studies during 1990 showed that chlorophyll a, turbidity, and total dissolved phosphorus were 2-3 fold higher on bank reefs of the FRT compared to similar reefs in the less developed western Caribbean region. Sampling during summer 1992 showed high phosphorus concentrations in reduced salinity coastal waters along the eastern Gulf of Mexico, indicating land-based sources of phosphorus input Existing data and observations also show that prevailing currents of the inner shelf waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico move southerly, into Florida Bay, and then seaward, providing a mechanism for phosphorus transport to the FRT.