Sewage pollution, declining ecosystem health, and cross-sector collaboration

Wear, Stephanie L.; Acuña, Vicenç; McDonald, Rob; Font, Carme

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109010

Cited by 96 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Our global findings are within range of similar studies, but provide a high-resolution understanding of the spatial pattern of relative contribution of wastewater inputs to coastal waters worldwide. Indeed, in terms of impacts to coral reefs, the geographic patterns we map parallel other recent assessments of wastewater inputs to coastal waters [ 16 , 17 ]. Simulated inputs of diclofenac, an indicator of wastewater, mapped similar locations of wastewater impacts on reef systems [ 16 ] in regions like the Tropical Atlantic, Western Indo-Pacific, coastal Western India, and the Central-Indo Pacific ( Fig 3 ), though we show a greater proportion of reef areas impacted.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 62%

Mapping global inputs and impacts from of human sewage in coastal ecosystems

et al. 2021

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Coastal marine ecosystems face a host of pressures from both offshore and land-based human activity. Research on terrestrial threats to coastal ecosystems has primarily focused on agricultural runoff, specifically showcasing how fertilizers and livestock waste create coastal eutrophication, harmful algae blooms, or hypoxic or anoxic zones. These impacts not only harm coastal species and ecosystems but also impact human health and economic activities. Few studies have assessed impacts of human wastewater on coastal ecosystems and community health. As such, we lack a comprehensive, fine-resolution, global assessment of human sewage inputs that captures both pathogens and nutrient flows to coastal waters and the potential impacts on coastal ecosystems. To address this gap, we use a new high-resolution geospatial model to measure and map nitrogen (N) and pathogen—fecal indicator organisms (FIO)—inputs from human sewage for ~135,000 watersheds globally. Because solutions depend on the source, we separate nitrogen and pathogen inputs from sewer, septic, and direct inputs. Our model indicates that wastewater adds 6.2Tg nitrogen into coastal waters, which is approximately 40% of total nitrogen from agriculture. Of total wastewater N, 63% (3.9Tg N) comes from sewered systems, 5% (0.3Tg N) from septic, and 32% (2.0Tg N) from direct input. We find that just 25 watersheds contribute nearly half of all wastewater N, but wastewater impacts most coastlines globally, with sewered, septic, and untreated wastewater inputs varying greatly across watersheds and by country. Importantly, model results find that 58% of coral and 88% of seagrass beds are exposed to wastewater N input. Across watersheds, N and FIO inputs are generally correlated. However, our model identifies important fine-grained spatial heterogeneity that highlight potential tradeoffs and synergies essential for management actions. Reducing impacts of nitrogen and pathogens on coastal ecosystems requires a greater focus on where wastewater inputs vary across the planet. Researchers and practitioners can also overlay these global, high resolution, wastewater input maps with maps describing the distribution of habitats and species, including humans, to determine the where the impacts of wastewater pressures are highest. This will help prioritize conservation efforts.Without such information, coastal ecosystems and the human communities that depend on them will remain imperiled.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 62%

Mapping global inputs and impacts from of human sewage in coastal ecosystems

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Our global findings are within range of similar studies, but provide a highresolution understanding of the spatial pattern of relative contribution of wastewater inputs to coastal waters worldwide. Indeed, in terms of impacts to coral reefs, the geographic patterns we map parallel other recent assessments of wastewater inputs to coastal waters [16,17]. Simulated inputs of diclofenac, an indicator of wastewater, mapped similar locations of wastewater impacts on reef systems [16] in regions like the Tropical Atlantic, Western Indo-Pacific, coastal Western India, and the Central-Indo Pacific (Fig 3), though we show a greater proportion of reef areas impacted.…”

Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Indeed, in terms of impacts to coral reefs, the geographic patterns we map parallel other recent assessments of wastewater inputs to coastal waters [16,17]. Simulated inputs of diclofenac, an indicator of wastewater, mapped similar locations of wastewater impacts on reef systems [16] in regions like the Tropical Atlantic, Western Indo-Pacific, coastal Western India, and the Central-Indo Pacific (Fig 3), though we show a greater proportion of reef areas impacted. Both models show that in sparsely populated regions like the Eastern Pacific, with a high concentration of reefs, wastewater impacts are minimal.…”

Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Agricultural fertilizers and livestock waste have long been recognized as major contributors to coastal eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, hypoxic zones, or anoxic dead zones [2,4,7,8], with evidence that these impacts can lead to substantial habitat degradation or loss [9,10], fisheries declines [11], and beach closures, among other environmental consequences. These impacts are likely to get worse with global climate change [5,9], particularly affecting coastal ecosystems such as seagrasses [12], mangroves [13], salt marshes [14], and coral reefs [15] which are vulnerable to even modest levels of nutrient input [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to agricultural inputs, few high-resolution studies have measured and mapped the impacts from human sewage on coastal ecosystems [16,17]. Human sewage is both an human health and ecological health issue [18] because of its dual role in increasing coastal nitrogen (N) and transporting pathogens and other health hazards [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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