RNR 1001 Chapter : 6 Eutrophication
Document Summary
Eutrophic means well-nourished, and eutrophication is the process whereby lakes, streams, and nearshore marine habitats become enriched from the addition of plant macronutrients. It has been estimated that anthropogenic activities have doubled the flows of n and tripled the flows of p into the environment compared to natural rates of input. Regardless of what aquatic system we are talking about, the process and consequences of eutrophication have been well-studied. As you would expect, addition of high levels of nutrients into an aquatic system results in tremendous increases in the biomass of all types of plants. Although this increase in biomass certainly results in elevated rates of primary production, the benefits of greater diurnal oxygen production during the day are offset by a number of other problems. First, rapid increases in primary production often result in dense algal blooms that can reduce nocturnal oxygen levels well below 2 mg/l.
