@conference {892,
	title = {Nitrogen isotopic ratio records the eutrophication history of Long Island sound},
	booktitle = {American Geophyscial Union, Joint Assembly},
	volume = {85},
	year = {2004},
	note = {id: 732},
	month = {2004},
	publisher = { 	American Geophysical Union (AGU)},
	organization = { 	American Geophysical Union (AGU)},
	abstract = {Increasing coastal population and industrialization has led to the steady degradation of the Long Island Sound (LIS) environment. Increased nutrient loading from sewage inputs has resulted in eutrophication and decreased summertime subsurface oxygen concentration particularly at its western end. It is critical to develop a detailed history of these environmental changes, both to understand causative processes and for design of optimal and cost effective remediation plans. We are developing a detailed time line of environmental changes in LIS over the last few centuries based on the study of geochemical and paleo-ecological proxies in geographically distributed sediment cores. Sediment nitrogen isotopic ratio (d15N) in particular is being used as an indicator of perturbations of the nitrogen biogeochemistry. Higher d15N is expected from sewage inputs as well as from the initiation of subsurface denitrification during low O2 conditions. Contemporary correlation between eutrophication intensity and d15N is seen in sediment core top data which show a substantial 4 per mil increase in d15N going from eastern to western LIS. This observation is consistent with greater nutrient loading toward New York City with its greater coastal population density. Downcore data from a site in western LIS show 4 per mil lower d15N prior to 200 years ago, documenting the point at which significant anthropogenic impact began. Increasing d15N over the last 200 years correlate with productivity proxies and other proxies for anthropogenic influence},
	author = {Altabet, M. and Varekamp, J. C.}
}
