Causes and Effects of Eutrophication

I ntroduction
Human behavior affects the natural world around us in many ways. These effects are becoming
more evident as consumption, population, and demand for energy increases. One monumental
change occurring in the natural world as a result of human activity is eutrophication.
Eutrophication is a destructive ecological process that occurs in water bodies when increased
nutrient inputs promote rapid algae growth that consequently depletes dissolved oxygen. Over
the past century, nutrient inputs have increased in estuaries and rivers due to many human
activities. The leading cause of these inputs is the use of surface applied fertilizer in agriculture.
These nutrients are harmful to ecosystems because they promote large volumes of algae that
grow and die in the systems thereby consuming available oxygen and leading to dead zones
where few other organisms can survive.
As citizens of the United States, this issue must be regarded with great interest because of the
implications it has on both our economy and the fate of our cherished bodies of water. This
process can greatly damage our fishing industry as well as destroy national treasures such as the
majestic Chesapeake Bay.
Nutrient Absorption
Eutrophication of water is caused by increased input of nutrients (mainly nitrogen and
phosphorus) from surface runoff. Though there are many sources of this nutrient-rich runoff, the
largest source is surface-applied fertilizer used in agriculture. On vast tracts of land, on countless
farms around the country, fertilizers must be applied to the soil surface in order to meet crops
required levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. Due to the composition of these fertilizing materials,
there is often an excess of either nitrogen or phosphorus that is not absorbed by the crops. These
chemicals are soluble in water, meaning nitrogen and phosphorus molecules will separate from
the solid fertilizer material when coming into contact with water and become suspended in a
liquid solution. During storm events, these excess nutrients are absorbed into the rainwater to
form nutrient-rich runoff.
Runoff Accumulation
The runoff that is generated from agricultural land is a type of non-point source pollution and
has the capacity to harm ecosystems on a small and large scale. The term non-point source
refers to the fact that there is no specific point from which the pollution is being introduced into
the surrounding ecosystem, whereas a point source, such as a sewage outlet or a smokestack,
would come from a single point. Due to this quality, non-point sources are significantly harder
than point sources to control or mitigate.
A single tract of farmland may directly impact the water chemistry of nearby streams or ponds;
however, the cumulative effect of many farms and contributing streams on a watershed is
much more severe. A watershed is an area of land whose surface waters all end up in the same
final location. An excellent example of this would be the Chesapeake Bay watershed shown
below. As a result of geography, every drop of rain that falls on this area will end up in a stream
that will eventually end up in the Chesapeake Bay. Consequently, the nutrient levels in the Bay
are much more concentrated than that of the individual contributing streams. The Chesapeake
Bay is one of the most imperiled examples of a watershed affected by agricultural runoff, but
watersheds all over the world face the threat of eutrophication through the same processes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chesapeakewatershedmap.png

Causes and Effects of Algal Growth and Death
Eutrophication refers to the change in a water bodys character that occurs in two stages:
the promotion of algae growth by nutrient inputs
the consumption of oxygen resulting from algal decay
Excessive nutrient inputs are problematic because they lead to unnatural growth of algae which
disturb the natural balance within ecosystems. The highly nutrient-rich water delivers high doses
of limiting nutrients to the system. A limiting nutrient is a chemical that is scarce in the
ecosystem, so the organisms that require it can only thrive to the extent that it is present. In other
words, as that nutrient increases in the system, so does the capacity of the system to support
certain species. The agricultural runoff liberates the algae from growth limitations and they
thrive, creating algal blooms. The algae cover the water surface, limiting sunlight penetration
that is essential for many photosynthetic aquatic plants, and crowd the habitat of other aquatic
organisms.
The more destructive effects of Eutrophication are seen as the algae die and decompose. When
organisms decay, they are being consumed by bacteria and other decomposing organisms. The
process of consumption requires oxygen. Just as excessive nutrients lead to increased growth of
algae, excessive dead algae lead to increased consumption by decomposers, which in turn lead to
a dramatic decrease in dissolved oxygen. As a result, higher plants, fish, and other aquatic
organisms suffocate or are forced to relocate, and the eutrophic water is turned into a dead
zone.
Remedies
There are many ways to curb the amount of nutrient inputs that reach sensitive ecosystems;
however, reversing the destructive effects of eutrophication once the process has already taken
place is much more difficult. In order to prevent nutrients from reaching these points of
concentration, various biological filtering methods can be employed: increasing vegetation near
streams to absorb the agricultural runoff, or increasing certain populations of shellfish in
ecologically sensitive bodies of water that will absorb high amounts of nutrients. A more
effective, yet difficult preventative measure involves changing government policy concerning
non-point source pollution and fertilizer use.
Conclusion
The process of eutrophication involves the absorption of excess nutrients into storm water runoff
which is concentrated as tributaries gather within a watershed, followed by the rapid growth of
algae that block sunlight, crowd the ecosystem, and eventually die and decay thereby depleting
the dissolved oxygen in the system. This process destroys natural ecosystems and the many
benefits that are associated with them including: biodiversity, habitat for fishable species, and the
aesthetic value of water bodies. Steps should be taken to control this process if we want to
promote healthy ecosystems and economies.