Periphytic algal biomass as a bioindicator of phosphorus concentrations in agricultural headwater streams of southern Ontario

Algal blooms in Lake Erie have worsened in recent decades and are driven by diffuse export of phosphorus (P) from a large stream network that drains predominately agricultural land. Given the diffuse nature of nonpoint source pollution, best management practices (BMPs) must target areas where P levels are high. This requires long-term watershed-wide monitoring programs that do not currently exist in many jurisdictions. Instead of conventional …