Macroalgal nitrogen isotope analysis (δ15N) is a reliable method for the identification of nitrogen pollutant sources. Understanding δ15N geospatial variation within small bays and/or harbour environments can help identify point sources of nitrogen pollution. This study sampled over 300 Fucus vesiculosus and Ulva sp. specimens in September 2022 and May 2023 from Staithes Harbour, North Yorkshire, England. δ15N values for Staithes Beck were elevated when compared to sites in Staithes Harbour and the North Sea: this is attributed to sewage effluent and/or agricultural manure. Few sites within Staithes Harbour were significantly different from one another in terms of δ15N, suggesting a relatively homogenous nitrogen isotope record of the harbour. Simple harbour environments like Staithes may be relatively well mixed, and thus, sampling one harbour site may be enough to represent the entire harbour. Of course, more complex harbours may require more sample locations to ascertain point sources and mixing in the harbour.

中文翻译：

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英国约克郡斯泰兹港一个小渔村大型藻类的氮同位素变异


巨藻氮同位素分析（δ15N）是识别氮污染物来源的可靠方法。了解小海湾和/或港口环境内的 δ15N 地理空间变化有助于识别氮污染的点源。这项研究对 300 多个墨角藻和石莼进行了采样。标本于 2022 年 9 月和 2023 年 5 月在英国北约克郡斯泰兹港采集。与斯泰兹港和北海的地点相比，斯泰兹贝克的 δ15N 值较高：这是由于污水和/或农业粪便造成的。斯泰兹港内几乎没有几个地点在 δ15N 方面存在显着差异，这表明该港的氮同位素记录相对均匀。像斯泰兹这样的简单港口环境可能相对较好地混合，因此，对一个港口地点进行采样可能足以代表整个港口。当然，更复杂的港口可能需要更多的采样位置来确定点源和港口内的混合。