The State component of ASSETS is shown in the diagram below. The symptoms of eutrophication are classified into primary and secondary categories, depending on severity. Systems which are slightly degraded normally exhibit primary symptoms only, but systems which are more severely affected will show both primary and secondary symptoms.

EXTERNAL FORCING   PRIMARY SYMPTOMS   SECONDARY SYMPTOMS Nitrogen and phosphorus à Decreased light availability Chlorophyll a Macroalgal growth à Loss of SAV SAV Spatial coverage SAV Coverage trends à Increased organic decomposition Chlorophyll a Macroalgal growth à Low dissolved oxygen Dissolved oxygen à Algal dominance changes Diatoms to flagellates Benthic to pelagic algae à Harmful algae Nuisance algal blooms Toxic algal blooms

 

The diagram shows the model for State, with primary and secondary eutrophication symptoms and the parameters contained in each group. The parameters are hot-linked to the classification scores defined for each.