ipl-logo

The Role Of Eutrophication In The Gulf Of Mexico

406 Words2 Pages

Eutrophication is defined as “the process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates” (Eutrophication, 2015). Furthermore, scientists have determined a number of human activities that may contribute to eutrophication in bodies of water such as the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico: How Midwestern Farming Practices are Creating a Dead Zone, 2012). For example, prior to the 1950’s when rivers are channelized for navigation and flood control purposes (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico…, 2012). A second illustration would be “landscape alteration”, which consists of deforestation and agricultural drainage that alter nature’s runoff buffers and results in additional nutrients entering the water supply (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico…, 2012). A third human activity is agriculture, which often requires the usage of chemical fertilizers that leads directly to increased levels of nutrients in bodies of water. …show more content…

In fact, the Gulf of Mexico is “the largest hypoxic area in the western Atlantic Ocean”, since it operates as a drainage zone for the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin that is composed of substantial rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico…, 2012). In addition, an abundance of the nutrient nitrogen causes accelerated algae growth (algae blooms) and a decrease in the quality of a water (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico…,

Show More
Related
442 Words | 2 Pages

According to Harrison Eutrophication is the excessive production of algae and higher plants through the enrichment of waters by nitrogen and phosphorus. Phosphorus in the form of phosphate is the limiting nutrient as the amount of biologically available phosphorus is small in relation to the amount needed for algal growth. Harrison states that sources of nutrients can be discrete, (sewage), or diffuse, (farmland fertilizers).

Read More
1063 Words | 5 Pages

Eutrophication, which is excessive richness of nutrients in any form of body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen, is another reason why the creek could be polluted. Fertilizers are used in farming to provide crops with nutrients, but they also play a big role in the Eutrophication process. If too much fertilizer is used, it leaches from the soil in

Read More
391 Words | 2 Pages

Environmental Science and Sustainability (SCI201 -1504A -07) Instructor: Trena Woolridge Unit 4- Discussion Board Amanda Kranning October 27, 2015 Eutrophication is a syndrome of ecosystem responses to human activities that fertilize water bodies with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), often leading to changes in animal and plant populations and degradation of water and habitat quality.(Cloern, Krantz, & Hogan, 2013) Eutrophication forms when an abundance of nitrogen and phosphorus increases growth within an environment.

Read More
985 Words | 4 Pages

Eversince the invasion of Zebra mussels in 1988 the ecosystem of The Great Lakes suffered negative impacts from decrease of plankton to spending big numbers every year to try to remove them from the ecosystem. But little do people know they also help brought Lake erie (one of the 5 great lakes) back to life, during the 1970s Lake Erie was declared dead since massive amounts of pollution were dumped into the Lake from agriculture industry. The pollution caused the Lake to have less oxygen which caused some parts of the lakes to be a dead zone. Overall this can be concluded to have negative impact to the ecosystem of the Great Lakes, but there are some positive impacts too. The primary objective should be to remove the Zebra mussels from the great lakes even though the had positive impacts, the zebra mussels don’t belong in this ecosystem.

Read More
842 Words | 4 Pages

Eutrophication is the excessive nutrients in a lake or body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of a plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen. We tested for phosphate, nitrate, and dissolved oxygen. Phosphates and Nitrates are found in fertilizers, laundry detergents, and sewage treatments. Dissolved oxygen is microscopic bubbles of gaseous oxygen that are mixed in water and aailable to aquatic organisms for respiration. We found that there was a phosphate average of 0.1 parts per million (ppm).

Read More
215 Words | 1 Pages

The Apalachicola River begins in Georgia with the Chattahoochee River, north of Atlanta. Once the river crosses the Georgia-Florida border and is joined by the Flint River it’s called the Apalachicola River. It contains one of the most diverse, productive, and economically important natural systems in the southeastern United States. The Apalachicola basin provides a home to a great diversity of wildlife species and many endemic plant species.

Read More
627 Words | 3 Pages

The problem the students need to solve is whether or not the river is healthy. The overall concept of this trip is trying to prevent dead zones. Dead zones or eutrophication is when algae grows in excessive amounts, blocking the sunlight, which causes a lack of oxygen, which is essential for survival. To find out if the river is healthy, the classes performed chemical tests, scored macro levels, and made physical observations.

Read More
437 Words | 2 Pages

All organisms need oxygen to survive and when their is not enough oxygen, it leaves plants and animals to die. The area of water where there is a low count of oxygen are often called a dead zones. Also, an increase of the pH level in the water can be created because of algae blooms. The toxic killing algae can make humans sick. For the aquatic animals, these toxins attack mainly the organisms liver and nervous system (Nitrogen and

Read More
635 Words | 3 Pages

However, an overabundance of some nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, impairs water quality. “Agriculture is the largest source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams.” quotes the Washington Post (Baker, 2015). About 50% of phosphorus and 40% of nitrogen dumped into the bay stems from agricultural runoff. According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Each year, roughly 300 million pounds of polluting nitrogen reaches the Chesapeake Bay—about six times the amount that reached the bay in the 1600s.”(cfb.org). The major sources of the excess nutrients comes from over fertilization of crops with animal manure seeping into waterways, and animals having direct access to waters where waste is carried into the watershed (Baker, 2015).

Read More
944 Words | 4 Pages

Nutrient pollution coming from agricultural runoff and other fertilizers allows for the growth of species that upset the balance of the ecosystem such as Cattail, harmful algae bloom, and duckweed. The sulfur in the agricultural fertilizers leads to accumulation of toxic mercury in fish, birds, and mammals. Also, exotic animals or invasive species displaced native and threatens to disrupt the ecosystem balance. The purpose of this experiment is to determine how the water quality affects the Everglades ecosystem and how water pollution impacts different species. Urbanization is a big threat that contributes to poor water quality in water pollution.

Read More
457 Words | 2 Pages

Farmers began to grow their crops in San Joaquin Valley for more than 100 years. Farms in the valley produce mostly vegetables, fruits, nuts, and dairy and they are the main manufacturers in international markets and major suppliers in the United States (Hanak & Arnold, 2017). Farmers are using polluted groundwater to grow their crops and harming the environment by drying rivers and causing people to get health problems. The reason that there are pesticides in nitrates in groundwater in San Joaquin Valley may be the fact that there is a long history of farming and irrigation and generally permeable sediments (Burow & Dubrowvsky, 2014). The first organization that noticed the growth of nitrates in groundwater is the Regional Aquifier System Analyses Program.

Read More
843 Words | 4 Pages

The purpose of this lab was to test the effect of pollution on algae growth. Through a series of experiments that lasted a month, four of the six hypotheses were proven to be correct or partially correct. The first hypothesis stated that if 0.5 mL of salt was added to algae, then the algae would grow slower than the positive control. This was proven correct, as shown by the difference of the data from the positive control and the container with 0.5 mL of salt in it.

Read More
1262 Words | 6 Pages

“I wanna play with some mortals. Female mortals.” Eryx, son of Aphrodite, looked up from the neat stack of papers on his Chippendale desk. He frowned at the intruder, his cousin Dionysus. “Don’t you ever knock?”

Read More
754 Words | 4 Pages

It is well known that eutrophication occurs when excess nutrients are added to a body of water and primary productivity is increased. However, the scientific paper, Aquatic eutrophication promotes pathogenic infection in amphibians, puts a direct focus on a specific parasite, Ribeiroia ondatra, and seeks to give evidence that the onset of eutrophication is the driving factor allowing the parasite to disrupt amphibian development. The authors set-out with the goal to provide evidence that eutrophication leads to an increase in the number of snails as intermediate hosts for the parasite, while also increasing the snail size and reducing snail mortality; providing more candidates to pass the parasite onto amphibians to inhibit their development. This research, as stated in the paper, looks to identify eutrophication as the factor promoting this pathogenic infection in the amphibians. Although some have tried to pinpoint this already, no evidence prior had been provided to

Read More
885 Words | 4 Pages

Water Pollution is a huge environmental problem that has serious effects on marine habitats, animals, and water quality. BP1: The world's marine habitat has been getting worse because of how bad the pollution has gotten. “ Over 80% of marine pollution comes from land based activities “ (source 5 ). This quote explains how most of the water pollution is caused by human activity. “ Plastic litter does not degrade, can be expected to last in the oceans for hundreds of years “ ( source 6 ).

Read More

More about The Role Of Eutrophication In The Gulf Of Mexico

Related Topics

Open Document