V.

GOKULKANNAN
 The eutrophication of the Potomac
River is evident from the bright green
water, caused by a dense bloom of
cyanobacteria.

One example is the "bloom" or great increase of phytoplankton in a water

body as a response to increased levels of nutrients. Negative environmental
effects include hypoxia the depletion of oxygen in the water, which may
cause death to aquatic animals.
Mechanism of eutrophication :
Natural eutrophication
Ocean waters
Lakes and rivers

Ecological effects :
Decreased biodiversity
New species invasion
Toxicity
 Increased biomass of phytoplankton
 Toxic or inedible phytoplankton species
 Increases in blooms of gelatinous zooplankton
 Increased biomass of benthic and epiphytic algae
 Changes in macrophyte species composition and biomass
 Decreases in water transparency (increased turbidity)
 Colour, smell, and water treatment problems
 Dissolved oxygen depletion
 Increased incidences of fish kills
 Loss of desirable fish species
 Reductions in harvestable fish and shellfish
 Decreases in perceived aesthetic value of the water body
Cultural eutrophication is the process that speeds up natural
eutrophication because of human activity.[47] Due to clearing of
land and building of towns and cities, land runoff is accelerated
and more nutrients such as phosphates and nitrate are supplied to
lakes and rivers, and then to coastal estuaries and bays. Extra
nutrients are also supplied by treatment plants, golf courses,
fertilizers, and farms.These nutrients result in an excessive growth
of plant life known as an algal bloom. This can change a lake's
natural food web, and also reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen
in the water for organisms to breathe.
Natural eutrophication
Although eutrophication is commonly caused by human activities, it can also be a natural
process, particularly in lakes. Eutrophy occurs in many lakes in temperate grasslands, for
instance. Paleolimnologists now recognise that climate change, geology, and other
external influences are critical in regulating the natural productivity of lakes. Some lakes
also demonstrate the reverse process (meiotrophication), becoming less nutrient rich
with time.[6][7] The main difference between natural and anthropogenic eutrophication is
that the natural process is very slow, occurring on geological time scales.[8]