Likewise, Tiessen et al. (2010) reported that conversion to conservation tillage increased P concentrations and exports, mostly as soluble P, especially during snowmelt. Kleinman et al. (2011) showed that while PP decreased by 37% in a no-till vs. conventional-till watershed, TP increased by 12%, with that increase

attributed to dissolved P mediated by high concentrations of surface soil P. BMPs that lower the accumulation of P at the soil surface should be considered in areas where DRP is a major concern (Tiessen et al., 2010). A summary of BMPs that focused on controlling DRP (Crumrine, 2011) outlines their potential effectiveness, costs, and likelihood of use. Bosch et al. (2013) explored the impacts of expanding the current use of filter Selleckchem Sunitinib strips, cover crops, and no-till BMPs in controlling runoff. When implemented singly and in combinations at levels currently considered feasible by farm experts, these BMPs reduced sediment and nutrient yields by only

0–11% relative to current values ( Fig. 15). Yield reduction was greater for sediments and the greatest reduction was found when all three BMPs were implemented simultaneously. They also found that targeting BMPs in high source locations (see above), rather than randomly, decreased nutrient yields more; whereas, reduction in sediment yields was greatest when BMPs were located near the river outlet. A more detailed analysis of increased BMP Thiamine-diphosphate kinase implementation strategies for the Maumee watershed ( Fig. 16) pointed to the need for more aggressive implementation of multiple BMPs to reduce loads substantially. For example, a 20% reduction in TP or DRP find more load requires implementing the BMPs on more than 50% of the agricultural land. Meteorological conditions, including both temperature and precipitation, have changed appreciably during the past century in the Great Lakes basin, with increased temperature and winter/spring precipitation expected into the future (Hayhoe et al., 2010 and Kling et al., 2003). Thus, establishing loading targets to control Lake Erie hypoxia should consider

how potential climate change might impact loads, processes that lead to hypoxia formation, fish, and BMP effectiveness. While uncertainty surrounding the projected future regional precipitation is greater than for temperatures, confidence is increasing that future precipitation patterns will continue to trend toward more intense late-winter and early spring precipitation events (Hayhoe et al., 2010). Such intense events could lead to higher nutrient runoff, and in the absence of dramatic changes in land use, could increase overall nutrient loads because 60–75% of P inputs are delivered during precipitation-driven river discharge events (Baker and Richards, 2002, Dolan and McGunagle, 2005 and Richards et al., 2001). A preliminary study of the impact of climate change on the Maumee River (DeMarchi et al.