Just how much phosphorus can a wetland absorb and retain over the long run? That’s the question that researchers have spent the past two years investigating as part of an effort to reduce the phosphorus loading that is fueling algal blooms in Lake Erie. A research team from Old Woman Creek Reserve and the University of Toledo developed a Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach to calculate the phosphorus retention capacity of wetlands with limited datasets.

In this webinar, the team will share some of their key findings, management implications, and potential for other practitioners to use their monitoring guide and statistical codes to calculate the nutrient retention capacity of their wetlands. In addition to taking audience questions, the team will offer some ideas about how their work informs an ambitious new water quality initiative in Ohio.