Admin What happens when nutrients found in fertilizers contaminate our lakes and streams?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE EXCESSIVE NUTRIENTS? Eutrophication is a natural process that results from accumulation of nutrients in lakes or other bodies of water. Algae that feed on nutrients grow into unsightly scum on the water surface, decreasing recreational value and clogging water-intake pipes.
What will happen when too much fertilizers are dumped in lakes and rivers?
Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle. Significant increases in algae harm water quality, food resources and habitats, and decrease the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive.
What is the effect of excessive fertilizer in a river?
The excess of nutrients that occur from the fertilizers is instrumental in the algae bloom, which makes the passage of water transport impossible. When the algae die, it sinks to the bottom of the river bed that makes the aquatic animals impossible to survive due to the formation of dead zones.
How can fertilizers harm the environment?
When the excess nutrients from all the fertilizer we use runs off into our waterways, they cause algae blooms sometimes big enough to make waterways impassable. When the algae die, they sink to the bottom and decompose in a process that removes oxygen from the water.
What effect does Fertilisers have on the environment?
When crops are harvested, nitrogen is removed from the soil (in the protein of the plant products). Adding nitrate fertilisers , manure or compost to the soil can replace soil nitrogen. This makes the soil fertile again, allows more plant growth to occur and increases the yield of the next crop.
How does fertilizers and pesticides affect the environment?
Impact on environment Pesticides can contaminate soil, water, turf, and other vegetation. In addition to killing insects or weeds, pesticides can be toxic to a host of other organisms including birds, fish, beneficial insects, and non-target plants.