What happens to a lake during eutrophication?

Eutrophication is the process in which lakes receive nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) and sediment from the surrounding watershed and become more fertile and shallow. The additional nutrients cause algal blooms, additional plant growth and overall poor water quality, making the lake less suitable for recreation.

How do you know if a lake is eutrophic?

There are several indicators available to assess the degree of eutrophication:

1. Nutrients. Total phosphorus (P), orthophosphate, total nitrogen (N) and nitrogen in nitrate (NO3-) are the main elements that can be measured.
2. Dissolved oxygen.
3. Water transparancy.
4. Chlorophyll a.
5. Biological water quality.

What is the main cause of eutrophication?

The most common nutrients causing eutrophication are nitrogen N and phosphorus P. The main source of nitrogen pollutants is run-off from agricultural land, whereas most phosphorus pollution comes from households and industry, including phosphorus-based detergents.

What are the 4 effects of eutrophication?

The known consequences of cultural eutrophication include blooms of blue-green algae (i.e., cyanobacteria, Figure 2), tainted drinking water supplies, degradation of recreational opportunities, and hypoxia.

What is responsible for eutrophication in lakes?

Eutrophication in freshwater ecosystems is almost always caused by excess phosphorus. Nutrient pollution, a form of water pollution, is a primary cause of eutrophication of surface waters, in which excess nutrients, usually nitrogen or phosphorus, stimulate algal and aquatic plant growth.

What happens during eutrophication?

Eutrophication sets off a chain reaction in the ecosystem, starting with an overabundance of algae and plants. The excess algae and plant matter eventually decompose, producing large amounts of carbon dioxide. This lowers the pH of seawater, a process known as ocean acidification.

Do eutrophic lakes have fish?

In eutrophic lakes more of the lake is occupied by plants, and open water fish such as walleye begin to disappear while fish associated with shallow water and plants become established. Largemouth bass and sunfish are dominant in eutrophic lakes.

What are some important effects of eutrophication on lakes?

Impacts of eutrophication often mean excessive growth of phytoplankton and algae, changes in species abundance and composition, biomass production and dissolved oxygen content. Some lakes can become eutrophic to the point of hypoxia because their ecosystem gets completely depleted of oxygen.

Does eutrophication cause algae blooms?

Harmful algal blooms, dead zones, and fish kills are the results of a process called eutrophication — which occurs when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth to estuaries and coastal waters.

Are eutrophic lakes warm?

Eutrophic lakes have poor clarity and support abundant aquatic plant growth. In deep eutrophic lakes, the cool bottom waters usually contain little or no dissolved oxygen. Therefore, these lakes can only support warm-water fish such as bass and pike.

Why eutrophication is a problem?

Eutrophication is when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients. This can be a problem in marine habitats such as lakes as it can cause algal blooms. Some algae even produce toxins that are harmful to higher forms of life. This can cause problems along the food chain and affect any animal that feeds on them.