The phosphorus cascade: Navigating from sources to solutions - ANPC talk

This presentation will review the latest research on inputs, budgets, effects, legacies and management of phosphorus (P).  Jana Compton from EPA’s Pacific Ecological Systems Division in Corvallis will walk through national data on P inputs and sources to the conterminous US landscape, connecting P inputs and sources to P concentrations and condition in streams, rivers and lakes.  Her work focuses on analyzing data from EPA’s National Aquatic Resources Survey and National Nutrient Inventory to understand the impacts of land use and watershed processes on stream and lake nutrients across the US.  

Impact/Purpose

The Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council (ANPC) will host a Fall Phosphorus Science and Emerging Research Workshop in Washington, DC on October 1, 2024.  CPHEA’s Jana Compton was invited to present on EPA’s National Nutrient Inventories, particularly the phosphorus inputs and potential effects of phosphorus losses from the landscape.  The recent EPA Report to Congress and USGS load trend data is showing differences between nitrogen and phosphorus trends, phosphorus load trends are not tracking similarly to nitrogen. The goal of this workshop is to bring together the scientific community, state leaders, agricultural leaders, and EPA staff to discuss the current and emerging science on phosphorus linked to non-point sources and to understand how we may be better positioned to communicate on the reasons why P loads are not trending similarly to nitrogen. This event will highlight phosphorus science in the MRB, Great Lakes region, and eastern agricultural regions.   

Citation

Compton, J., R. Sabo, A. Rea, A. Handler, A. Neale, L. Kirk, M. Brehob, AND A. Herlihy. The phosphorus cascade: Navigating from sources to solutions - ANPC talk. 2024 Fall Phosphorus Science and Emerging Research Workshop, Washington DC, DC, October 01, 2024.