Atwood, D.K., A. Bratkovich, M. Gallagher, G.L. Hitchcock
ABSTRACT
This issue of Estuaries is devoted to papers that describe results from the Nutrient Enriched Coastal Ocean Productivity
(NECOP) program. The NECOP study was initiated by the Coastal Ocean Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) in 1989 to address the effects of nutrient discharge on the coastal waters of the United States. The basic hypothesis
posed for NECOP is that the addition of anthropogenic nutrients from sewage, agriculture, industrial sources, and suburban runoff
have contributed to the development of eutrophication in coastal waters with significant impacts on water quality.