Publication Abstract

Establishing the Nutrient Status of UK Coastal Waters: The JONUS Programe

R.R. Dickson

The purpose of this brochure is not to justify the JONUS programme, nor to act as a final report of the first main phase of that programme-JONUS 1-due to end in April 1995. Though some brief restatement of the rationale for JONUS is necessary [below, Section 2], the justification for the programme is already adequately described in the original project specification, and a separate and much fuller final report is intended for the spring of 1995.

Instead, this brochure intends to show sufficient evidence of progress towards the JONUS goals of quantifying the budgets of nutrient inputs to the North Sea via the major east coast estuaries and of understanding their geochemical and geophysical controls to justify the extension of the programme into a second phase (JONUS 2) from 1995.

To do so, it is plain that we will have to provide three types of evidence to potential funders: that the underlying thinking as well as the science itself is logical and well-based, that no other present or prospective programme could do the job, and that the results have utility for management either in justifying the UK position on the nutrient status of our seas in international fora, or indicating where and how to take any remedial measures that may prove necessary. Not all the evidence to make this case is yet to hand. The intensive field phase of JONUS, involving monthly fieldwork over a period of more than one year, ended only 4 months ago so that much of the vast data set is still under analysis, appraisal and interpretation. Nonetheless it is clear that the case for continuation has to be made now if decision making and fund-raising are to be made in adequate time before the present phase ends, to ensure continuity of expertise and experience into Phase 2. The case-studies to be described are therefore incomplete but are hopefully adequate both to describe progress and to define key remaining tasks for JONUS 2.

Reference:

R.R. Dickson, 1994. Directorate of Fisheries Research, Lowestoft, 31pp.