Eutrophication in Biology

The term "eutrophication" is broad and refers to a significant issue in the nation's estuaries. The process of eutrophication, which happens when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients, increases the quantity of aquatic plant and algae development in estuaries and coastal waters, which causes harmful algal blooms, dead zones, and fish kills.

Excess algae and vigorous growth of aquatic plants is the first sign of eutrophication, which then triggers a series of events in the ecosystem. When the surplus algae and plant stuff finally breaks down, it releases a lot of carbon dioxide. This results in ocean acidification, a process where seawater's pH decreases. The production of shells in bivalve molluscs can be prevented by acidification, which also retards fish and shellfish growth. This results in smaller harvests and more expensive seafood for both commercial and recreational fisheries due to the decreased catch.

Hypoxia, or extremely low concentrations of oxygen at the bottom water bodies, is a common occurrence in culturally eutrophic aquatic environments. This is especially true of stratified systems, such as lakes, in the summer when molecular oxygen concentrations may drop to levels below one milligramme per litre, a threshold for a number of biological and chemical activities. This process may potentially have an impact on coastal marine systems. On a global basis, rivers are now adding twice as much organic matter to the oceans than they were in prehuman periods, while nitrogen and phosphorus discharge have increased by more than twofold. Cultural eutrophication has been caused by this the input of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.