The Role of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Eutrophication of the Northern Adriatic Sea: History and Future Scenarios

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear Authors,

The manuscript covers a very interesting topic and it is a piece of valuable work, in particular since such studies are necessary to observe the trend and find the main causes of eutrophication, which affects all marine organisms, as well as humans. It is very important the observation that the cessation of anthropogenic phosphorus input, which has been regulated since the late 1980s with legislation limiting its use in detergents, has significantly affected the trophic chain. It provides new, important knowledge about eutrophication process, which has many direct and indirect effects to marine organisms at all trophic levels, as well as to humans. I have no doubts or specific comments.

Sincerely,

The reviewer

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

we sincerely appreciate your thoughtful feedback on our manuscript. We are pleased to hear that you found our work valuable and important, especially in the context of observing the trends and underlying causes of eutrophication, which have far-reaching impacts on marine ecosystems and human well-being.

Your recognition of the significance of the regulatory measures related to anthropogenic phosphorus input and their effects on the trophic chain is indeed a central point in our study. We are glad to have contributed to the understanding of the eutrophication process and its implications for various trophic levels in the marine environment, as well as its potential effects on human populations. Thank you for your positive assessment and for having no specific comments or concerns.

Reviewer 2 Report

Review for the paper "Nitrogen and phosphorus are considered pollutants because they contribute to the eutrophication of aquatic systems. History and scenarios of future development of Northern Adriatic Sea" by Mauro Marini and Federica Grilli submitted to "Applied Sciences".

The manuscript offers a comprehensive overview of the temporal variations in nitrogen and phosphorous, which are major nutrients found in the northern Adriatic Sea. The authors explore the potential role of these nutrients in contributing to the process of eutrophication in marine environments. In their study, they meticulously analyze a comprehensive dataset and substantiate their main conclusions through relevant interpretation. Due to the significant role of nutrient outputs as key drivers of plankton ecosystems and primary sources of carbon and energy in aquatic environments, the present study holds potential appeal for scientists involved in plankton and environmental assessments worldwide, particularly in coastal and shelf regions. While I did not identify any major scientific flaws, it is crucial that the study adequately describes the databases that were analyzed. The rest of my suggestions are minor in nature and mainly of an editorial nature.

Major Point:

I strongly recommend providing a concise overview of the datasets analyzed in this paper, including climate data, river discharge data, as well as the nitrogen and phosphorous outputs.

Specific Remarks:

Title: The current title is excessively lengthy and should be revised. I suggest replacing it with a more succinct alternative, such as "The Role of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Eutrophication of the Northern Adriatic Sea."

L58. Consider replacing "have utilized" with "used".

L67-68. Consider replacing "These regions behave in an opposing way compared to the NAO trend [35–39]" with "These regions demonstrate contrasting patterns to the NAO trend [35–39]".

L68-74. Relevant references must be added.

L79. Consider replacing "heightened" with "increased".

L89. Consider replacing "repercussions" with "effects".

Fig. 1. Coordinates must be added in the map.

Some revisions are required.

Author Response

Response to Reviewer 2 (in red)

The manuscript offers a comprehensive overview of the temporal variations in nitrogen and phosphorous, which are major nutrients found in the northern Adriatic Sea. The authors explore the potential role of these nutrients in contributing to the process of eutrophication in marine environments. In their study, they meticulously analyze a comprehensive dataset and substantiate their main conclusions through relevant interpretation. Due to the significant role of nutrient outputs as key drivers of plankton ecosystems and primary sources of carbon and energy in aquatic environments, the present study holds potential appeal for scientists involved in plankton and environmental assessments worldwide, particularly in coastal and shelf regions. While I did not identify any major scientific flaws, it is crucial that the study adequately describes the databases that were analyzed. The rest of my suggestions are minor in nature and mainly of an editorial nature.

Dear Reviewer,

we deeply appreciate your thorough review of our manuscript. Your positive evaluation of our work's comprehensiveness and its focus on the temporal variations of nitrogen and phosphorous in the northern Adriatic Sea is highly encouraging. We acknowledge your suggestion about adequately describing the datasets that were analyzed. Additionally, we appreciate your attention to detail in providing minor editorial suggestions. We thank you for your insightful feedback and for recognizing the potential appeal of our study to the wider scientific community involved in plankton and environmental assessments.

Major Point:

I strongly recommend providing a concise overview of the datasets analyzed in this paper, including climate data, river discharge data, as well as the nitrogen and phosphorous outputs.

We totally agree with your recommendation to include a concise overview of the datasets analyzed in our study. To address this, we have incorporated a summary table that outlines the key datasets utilized.

Specific Remarks:

Title: The current title is excessively lengthy and should be revised. I suggest replacing it with a more succinct alternative, such as "The Role of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Eutrophication of the Northern Adriatic Sea."

Thank you for the suggestions. We have revised the title to: The Role of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Eutrophication of the Northern Adriatic Sea: History and Future Scenarios

L58. Consider replacing "have utilized" with "used".

Certainly, we appreciate the feedback. We have made the change and replaced "have utilized" with "used".

L67-68. Consider replacing "These regions behave in an opposing way compared to the NAO trend [35–39]" with "These regions demonstrate contrasting patterns to the NAO trend [35–39]".

Done.

L68-74. Relevant references must be added.

We have added more references.

L79. Consider replacing "heightened" with "increased".

Done.

L89. Consider replacing "repercussions" with "effects".

Done.

Fig. 1. Coordinates must be added in the map.

The coordinates have been added in the caption of the figure 1.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf