What is eutrophication and what has its effect been on the environment?
1 Answer
Jan 4, 2016
Eutrophication is the enrichment of an ecosystem, mostly aquatic with minerals such as nitrogen and phosphorous.
Explanation:
It can be a natural occurrence but most happen because of industrial run-off where fertilizer residues and the such reaches lakes or ponds and causes a rise in the mineral content of the water which in part promotes the rapid growth, and eventually, death of algae and other aquatic plants(Algal bloom).
Algal bloom is not a desirable phenomenon because too much algae living on the surface of the water inhibits light to penetrate and reach the vegetation underwater. Also, when the algae die, it requires copious amounts of oxygen to decay thus depleting the dissolved oxygen of the aquatic ecosystem.
