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    Pollution of Water Resources

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    Mayom Mabuong
    Eutrophication is a process where bodies of water become overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induces excessive growth of algae. This process can occur naturally over time but is often accelerated by human activities that increase nutrient runoff from fertilizers and sewage. Key impacts of eutrophication include decreased biodiversity as algal blooms reduce oxygen levels killing other species, changes in species dominance as new ones are able to outcompete original inhabitants, and toxicity issues when some algal blooms produce toxins that can travel up the food chain. The main sources of nutrient pollution are point sources like wastewater and nonpoint sources like agricultural and urban runoff, with the latter being more difficult to regulate as they occur

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    Pollution of Water Resources

    Uploaded by

    Mayom Mabuong
    103 views5 pages
    Eutrophication is a process where bodies of water become overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induces excessive growth of algae. This process can occur naturally over time but is often accelerated by human activities that increase nutrient runoff from fertilizers and sewage. Key impacts of eutrophication include decreased biodiversity as algal blooms reduce oxygen levels killing other species, changes in species dominance as new ones are able to outcompete original inhabitants, and toxicity issues when some algal blooms produce toxins that can travel up the food chain. The main sources of nutrient pollution are point sources like wastewater and nonpoint sources like agricultural and urban runoff, with the latter being more difficult to regulate as they occur

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    Eutrophication is a process where bodies of water become overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induces excessive growth of algae. This process can occur naturally over time but is often accelerated by human activities that increase nutrient runoff from fertilizers and sewage. Key impacts of eutrophication include decreased biodiversity as algal blooms reduce oxygen levels killing other species, changes in species dominance as new ones are able to outcompete original inhabitants, and toxicity issues when some algal blooms produce toxins that can travel up the food chain. The main sources of nutrient pollution are point sources like wastewater and nonpoint sources like agricultural and urban runoff, with the latter being more difficult to regulate as they occur

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    103 views5 pages

    Pollution of Water Resources

    Uploaded by

    Mayom Mabuong
    Eutrophication is a process where bodies of water become overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induces excessive growth of algae. This process can occur naturally over time but is often accelerated by human activities that increase nutrient runoff from fertilizers and sewage. Key impacts of eutrophication include decreased biodiversity as algal blooms reduce oxygen levels killing other species, changes in species dominance as new ones are able to outcompete original inhabitants, and toxicity issues when some algal blooms produce toxins that can travel up the food chain. The main sources of nutrient pollution are point sources like wastewater and nonpoint sources like agricultural and urban runoff, with the latter being more difficult to regulate as they occur

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    Pollution of water resources

    Surface water (Lakes, rivers, streams)


    Eutrophication
    Definitions
    Eutrophication - The process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of
    nutrients especially phosphates and nitrates. These typically promote excessive growth of algae.
    As the algae die and decompose, high levels of organic matter and the decomposing organisms
    deplete the water of available oxygen, causing the death of other organisms, such as fish.
    Eutrophication is a natural, slow-aging process for a water body, but human activity greatly
    speeds up the process. It is characterized by frequent algae bloom, reduction in dissolved
    oxygen, and death of aquatic fauna.
    Eutrophication may occur naturally but can also be the result of human activity (cultural
    eutrophication from fertilizer runoff and sewage discharge) and is particularly evident in slowmoving rivers and shallow lakes Increased sediment deposition can eventually raise the level
    of the lake or river bed, allowing land plants to colonize the edges, and eventually converting the
    area to dry land

    Ecological effects
    Many ecological effects can arise from eutrophication but there are three particularly troubling
    ecological impacts: decreased biodiversity, changes in species composition and dominance,
    and toxicity effects.

    Increased biomass of phytoplankton


    Toxic or inedible phytoplankton species

    Increases in blooms of gelatinous zooplankton

    Decreased biomass of benthic and epiphytic algae

    Changes in macrophyte species composition and biomass

    Decreases in water transparency (increased turbidity)

    Colour, smell, and water treatment problems

    Dissolved oxygen depletion

    Increased incidences of fish kills

    Loss of desirable fish species

    Reductions in harvestable fish and shellfish

    Decreases in perceived aesthetic value of the water body

    Decreased biodiversity
    When an ecosystem experiences an increase in nutrients, primary producers reap the benefits
    first. In aquatic ecosystems, species such as algae experience a population increase (called an
    algal bloom). Algal blooms limit the sunlight available to bottom-dwelling organisms and cause
    wide swings in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Oxygen is required by all
    aerobically respiring plants and animals and it is replenished in daylight by photosynthesizing
    plants and algae. Under eutrophic conditions, dissolved oxygen greatly increases during the day,
    but is greatly reduced after dark by the respiring algae and by microorganisms that feed on the
    increasing mass of dead algae. When dissolved oxygen levels decline to hypoxic levels, fish and
    other marine animals suffocate. As a result, creatures such as fish, shrimp, and especially
    immobile bottom dwellers die off. In extreme cases, anaerobic conditions ensue, promoting
    growth of bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum that produces toxins deadly to birds and
    mammals. Zones where this occurs are known as dead zones.

    New species invasion


    Eutrophication may cause competitive release by making abundant a normally limiting nutrient.
    This process causes shifts in the species composition of ecosystems. For instance, an increase in
    nitrogen might allow new, competitive species to invade and out-compete original inhabitant
    species. This has been shown to occur in New England salt marshes.

    Toxicity
    Some algal blooms, otherwise called "nuisance algae" or "harmful algal blooms", are toxic to
    plants and animals. Toxic compounds they produce can make their way up the food chain,
    resulting in animal mortality. Freshwater algal blooms can pose a threat to livestock. When the
    algae die or are eaten, neuro- and hepatotoxins are released which can kill animals and may pose
    a threat to humans. An example of algal toxins working their way into humans is the case of
    shellfish poisoning. Biotoxins created during algal blooms are taken up by shellfish (mussels,
    oysters), leading to these human foods acquiring the toxicity and poisoning humans. Examples
    include paralytic, neurotoxic, and diarrhoetic shellfish poisoning. Other marine animals can be
    vectors for such toxins, as in the case of ciguater, where it is typically a predator fish that
    accumulates the toxin and then poisons humans.

    Sources of high nutrient runoff


    Characteristics of point and nonpoint sources of chemical inputs ( [8] modified from
    Novonty and Olem 1994)

    In order to gauge how to best prevent eutrophication from occurring, specific sources that
    contribute to nutrient loading must be identified. There are two common sources of nutrients and
    organic matter: point and nonpoint sources.

    Point sources
    Point sources are directly attributable to one influence. In point sources the nutrient waste travels
    directly from source to water. Point sources are relatively easy to regulate and include:

    Wastewater effluent (municipal and Industrial)


    Runoff and leachate from waste disposal systems

    Runoff and infiltration from animal feedlots

    Runoff from mines, oil fields, unsewered industrial sites

    Overflows from combined storm and sanitary sewers

    Runoff from construction sites less than 20,000,m2 (215,270ft2)

    Untreated sewage

    Nonpoint sources
    Nonpoint source pollution (also known as 'diffuse' or 'runoff' pollution) is that which comes from
    ill-defined and diffuse sources. Nonpoint sources are difficult to regulate and usually vary
    spatially and temporally (with season, precipitation, and other irregular events). Some non point
    sources of water pollution include:

    Runoff from agriculture/irrigation

    Runoff from pasture and range

    Urban runoff and unsewered areas

    Septic tank leachate

    Runoff from construction sites >20,000m2

    Runoff from abandoned mines

    Atmospheric deposition over a water surface

    Other land activities generating contaminants

    It has been shown that nitrogen transport is correlated with various indices of human activity in
    watersheds, including the amount of development. Ploughing in agriculture and development are
    activities that contribute most to nutrient loading. There are three reasons that nonpoint sources
    are especially troublesome:
    Soil retention

    Nutrients from human activities tend to accumulate in soils and remain there for years. It has
    been shown that the amount of phosphorus lost to surface waters increases linearly with the
    amount of phosphorus in the soil. Thus much of the nutrient loading in soil eventually makes its
    way to water. Nitrogen, similarly, has a turnover time of decades or more.
    Runoff to surface water and leaching to groundwater

    Nutrients from human activities tend to travel from land to either surface or ground water.
    Nitrogen in particular is removed through storm drains, sewage pipes, and other forms of surface
    runoff. Nutrient losses in runoff and leachate are often associated with agriculture and solid
    waste management. Modern agriculture often involves the application of nutrients onto fields in
    order to maximise production. However, farmers frequently apply more nutrients than are taken
    up by crops or pastures. Regulations aimed at minimising nutrient exports from agriculture are
    typically far less stringent than those placed on sewage treatment plants and other point source
    polluters.
    Atmospheric deposition

    Nitrogen is released into the air because of ammonia volatilization and nitrous oxide production.
    The combustion of fossil fuels is a large human-initiated contributor to atmospheric nitrogen
    pollution. Atmospheric deposition (e.g., in the form of acid rain) can also affect nutrient
    concentration in water, especially in highly industrialized regions.

    Other causes
    Any factor that causes increased nutrient concentrations can potentially lead to eutrophication. In
    modeling eutrophication, the rate of water renewal plays a critical role; stagnant water is allowed
    to collect more nutrients than bodies with replenished water supplies. It has also been shown that
    the drying of wetlands causes an increase in nutrient concentration and subsequent
    eutrophication blooms.

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