Nutrient Loading
�
Plants need variety of nutrients to grow
�
Nitrogen and Phosphorus most important nutrients in
aquatic systems
�
Eutrophication
�
Natural
�
Cultural
Sources of nutrient loading into a lake.
-
-two very important chemical tests test nutrient levels in the lake
-
two most important nutrients for plant growth in aquatic systems are nitrogen and phosphorus
-
-sources;
-
-erosion
-
-industrial waste water
-
-agricultural runoff
-
-rain
-
-sediment release
-
Eutrophication, or the buildup of nutrients in a body of water, is a natural process taking hundreds of years
-
However, humans can drastically speed up the process of eutrophication
-
-algal blooms are a common indicator of cultural eutrophication
