Nitrogen Tracked to Housing Near Edgartown Great Pond | Vineyard Gazette

Wastewater discharge from urbanization to the north and east of Edgartown Great Pond has been identified as the primary source of increased nitrogen loading in the pond, according to a new study by a scientist with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole.

“Human development of the land is causing more and more nitrogen being put into . . . our coastal ponds and estuaries,” researcher Javier Lloret told a webinar audience last Thursday in the kickoff of a series sponsored by the Great Pond Foundation. His pilot study used non-radioactive atoms called stable isotopes to trace both the sources and the effects of excess nitrogen in the pond. 

Read more: The Vineyard Gazette – Martha’s Vineyard News | Nitrogen Tracked Directly to Housing Developments Near Edgartown Great Pond