They also greatly increase the amount of nitrogen entering the global nitrogen cycle which has a serious negative impact on the organization and functioning of the world's ecosystems, including accelerating the loss of biological diversity and decline of coastal marine ecosystems and fisheries.

Without supplies of fixed nitrogen entering the marine cycle the fixed nitrogen would be used up in about 2000 years.

New York City is the linchpin of the enterprise, because about half the nitrogen entering the Sound comes from the city's wastewater treatment plants on the East River.

The problem results from nitrogen entering the bay in effluent from sewage plants that stimulates abnormal growth of algae that consumes Sound-bottom oxygen as it decomposes.

Likewise, it is possible to stop dumping industrial waste and stop letting fertilizers and pesticides from farms run into Chesapeake Bay, but who is to blame for the fact that one-quarter of the nitrogen entering the bay comes from acid rain?

"But even though they were doing everything they could do, they were still a major point source for the nitrogen entering the Peconic Bay," Mr. Vigliotti said.

But he disagreed with much of the criticism and said the study did include specific goals and that changes were being made to treatment plants to hold the line on nitrogen entering the Sound.