Ohio State scientists are developing ways to identify the many kinds of phosphorus getting into Lake Erie. To do it, they’re determining the compounds’ chemical signatures. The goal is to be able to link the compounds back to their sources — whether farm field, livestock facility, wastewater treatment plant or otherwise — and so better target efforts aimed at keeping phosphorus out of Lake Erie. Excess phosphorus is one of the causes of the harmful algal blooms plaguing Lake Erie and other lakes. CFAES’s Field to Faucet initiative is a co-funder of the research. Read Ohio Sea Grant’s press release on the work. (Photo: Western Lake Erie algal bloom, NOAA.)