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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Reducing phosphorus losses from agricultural land to surface water
AU - McDowell, Richard W
AU - Haygarth, Philip M
PY - 2024/10/31
Y1 - 2024/10/31
N2 - Phosphorus (P) enrichment of water impairs its quality by stimulating algal growth and eutrophication, affecting an estimated 1.7 billion people. Remediation costs are substantial, estimated at $1 billion annually in Europe and $2.4 billion in the USA. Agricultural intensification over the past 50 years has increased P use brought into the system from mined fertiliser sources. This has enriched soil P concentrations and loss to surface waters via pathways such as surface runoff and subsurface flow, which are influenced by precipitation, slope, and farming practices. Effective mitigation of losses involves managing P sources, mobilisation, and transport/delivery mechanisms. The cost-effectiveness of mitigation actions can be improved if they are targeted to critical source areas (CSAs), which are small zones that disproportionately contribute to P loss. While targeting CSAs works well in areas with variable topography, flatter landscapes require managing legacy sources, such as enriched soil P to prevent P losses.
AB - Phosphorus (P) enrichment of water impairs its quality by stimulating algal growth and eutrophication, affecting an estimated 1.7 billion people. Remediation costs are substantial, estimated at $1 billion annually in Europe and $2.4 billion in the USA. Agricultural intensification over the past 50 years has increased P use brought into the system from mined fertiliser sources. This has enriched soil P concentrations and loss to surface waters via pathways such as surface runoff and subsurface flow, which are influenced by precipitation, slope, and farming practices. Effective mitigation of losses involves managing P sources, mobilisation, and transport/delivery mechanisms. The cost-effectiveness of mitigation actions can be improved if they are targeted to critical source areas (CSAs), which are small zones that disproportionately contribute to P loss. While targeting CSAs works well in areas with variable topography, flatter landscapes require managing legacy sources, such as enriched soil P to prevent P losses.
U2 - 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103181
DO - 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103181
M3 - Journal article
VL - 89
JO - Current Opinion in Biotechnology
JF - Current Opinion in Biotechnology
SN - 0958-1669
M1 - 103181
ER -