Assessing responses of the Hiroshima Bay ecosystem to increasing or decreasing phosphorus and nitrogen inputs.

The Japanese Government is seeking an appropriate level of nutrient load from the land to maintain the highest possible estuarine fishery production and water transparency simultaneously. To provide a scientific basis for the governmental inquiry, we conducted sensitivity analyses using an ecosystem model of Hiroshima Bay in order to assess the ecosystem's responses to phosphorus and nitrogen inputs. Load levels of phosphorus (Case P), nitrogen (Case N) and both phosphorus and nitrogen (Case NP) that were different from the average loading recorded during 1991-2000 (±25%, ±50%, and ±75%) were applied.