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Policy concerning the prevention and reduction of eutrophication can be broken down into four sectors: [39] Technologies,

public participation, economic instruments, and cooperation. The term technology is used loosely, referring to a more widespread use of existing methods rather than an appropriation of new technologies. As mentioned before, nonpoint sources of pollution are the primary contributors to eutrophication, and their effects can be easily minimized through common agricultural practices. Reducing the amount of pollutants that reach a watershed can be achieved through the protection of its forest cover, reducing the amount of erosion leeching into a watershed. Also, through the efficient, controlled use of land using sustainable agricultural practices to minimize land degradation, the amount of [40] soil runoff and nitrogen-based fertilizers reaching a watershed can be reduced. Waste disposal technology constitutes another factor in eutrophication prevention. Because a major contributor to the nonpoint source nutrient loading of water bodies is untreated domestic sewage, it is necessary to provide treatment facilities to highly urbanized areas, particularly those in underdeveloped nations, in which [41] treatment of domestic waste water is a scarcity. The technology to safely and efficiently reuse waste water, both from domestic and industrial sources, should be a primary concern for policy regarding eutrophication. The role of the public is a major factor for the effective prevention of eutrophication. In order for a policy to have any effect, the public must be aware of their contribution to the problem, and ways in which they can reduce their effects. Programs instituted to promote participation in the recycling and elimination of wastes, as well as education on the issue of rational water use are necessary to protect water quality within urbanized areas and adjacent water bodies. Economic instruments, which include, among others, property rights, water markets, fiscal and financial instruments, charge systems and liability systems, are gradually becoming a substantive component of [39] the management tool set used for pollution control and water allocation decisions." Incentives for those who practice clean, renewable, water management technologies are an effective means of encouraging pollution prevention. By internalizing the costs associated with the negative effects on the environment, governments are able to encourage a cleaner water management. Because a body of water can have an effect on a range of people reaching far beyond that of the watershed, cooperation between different organizations is necessary to prevent the intrusion of contaminants that can lead to eutrophication. Agencies ranging from state governments to those of water resource management and non-governmental organizations, going as low as the local population, are responsible for preventing eutrophication of water bodies. In the United States, the most well known inter[42] state effort to prevent eutrophication is the Chesapeake Bay.

Nitrogen testing and modeling[edit]


Soil Nitrogen Testing (N-Testing) is a technique that helps farmers optimize the amount of fertilizer applied to crops. By testing fields with this method, farmers saw a decrease in fertilizer application costs, [43] a decrease in nitrogen lost to surrounding sources, or both. By testing the soil and modeling the bare minimum amount of fertilizer needed, farmers reap economic benefits while reducing pollution.

Organic farming[edit]
There has been a study that found that organically fertilized fields "significantly reduce harmful nitrate [44] leaching" over conventionally fertilized fields. However, a more recent study found that eutrophication [45] impacts are in some cases higher from organic production than they are from conventional production.

Cultural eutrophication[edit]

Cultural eutrophication is the process that speeds up natural eutrophication because of human [46] activity. Due to clearing of land and building of towns and cities, land runoff is accelerated and more nutrients such as phosphates and nitrate are supplied to lakes and rivers, and then to coastal estuaries and bays. Extra nutrients are also supplied by treatment plants, golf courses, fertilizers, and farms. These nutrients result in an excessive growth of plant life known as an algal bloom. This can change a lake's natural food web, and also reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water for organisms to breathe. Both these things cause animal and plant death rates to increase as the plants take in poisonous water while the animals drink the poisoned water. This contaminates water, making it undrinkable, and sediment quickly fills the lake. Cultural eutrophication is a form of water pollution. Cultural eutrophication also occurs when excessive fertilizers run into lakes and rivers. This encourages the growth of algae (algal bloom) and other aquatic plants. Following this, overcrowding occurs and plants compete for sunlight, space and oxygen. Overgrowth of water plants also blocks sunlight and oxygen for aquatic life in the water, which in turn threatens their survival. Algae also grows easily, thus threatening other water plants no matter whether they are floating, half-submerged, or fully submerged. Not only does this cause algal blooming, it can cause an array of more long term effects on the water such as damage to coral reefs and deep sea animal life. It also speeds up the damage of both marine and also affects humans if the effects of algal blooming is too drastic. Fish will die and there will be lack of food in the area. Nutrient pollution is a major cause of algal blooming, and should be minimized. The Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), Ontario, Canada is a fully equipped, year-round, permanent field station that uses the whole ecosystem approach and long-term, whole-lake investigations of freshwater focusing on cultural eutrophication. ELA is currently cosponsored by the Canadian Departments of Environment and Fisheries and Oceans, with a mandate to investigate the aquatic effects of a wide [47][48] variety of stresses on lakes and their catchments

See also[edit]
Look up eutrophi

Policy concerning the prevention and reduction of eutrophication can be broken down into four sectors: [39] Technologies, public participation, economic instruments, and cooperation. The term technology is used loosely, referring to a more widespread use of existing methods rather than an appropriation of new technologies. As mentioned before, nonpoint sources of pollution are the primary contributors to eutrophication, and their effects can be easily minimized through common agricultural practices. Reducing the amount of pollutants that reach a watershed can be achieved through the protection of its forest cover, reducing the amount of erosion leeching into a watershed. Also, through the efficient, controlled use of land using sustainable agricultural practices to minimize land degradation, the amount of [40] soil runoff and nitrogen-based fertilizers reaching a watershed can be reduced. Waste disposal technology constitutes another factor in eutrophication prevention. Because a major contributor to the nonpoint source nutrient loading of water bodies is untreated domestic sewage, it is necessary to provide treatment facilities to highly urbanized areas, particularly those in underdeveloped nations, in which [41] treatment of domestic waste water is a scarcity. The technology to safely and efficiently reuse waste water, both from domestic and industrial sources, should be a primary concern for policy regarding eutrophication. The role of the public is a major factor for the effective prevention of eutrophication. In order for a policy to have any effect, the public must be aware of their contribution to the problem, and ways in which they can reduce their effects. Programs instituted to promote participation in the recycling and elimination of wastes, as well as education on the issue of rational water use are necessary to protect water quality within urbanized areas and adjacent water bodies. Economic instruments, which include, among others, property rights, water markets, fiscal and financial instruments, charge systems and liability systems, are gradually becoming a substantive component of [39] the management tool set used for pollution control and water allocation decisions." Incentives for those who practice clean, renewable, water management technologies are an effective means of encouraging pollution prevention. By internalizing the costs associated with the negative effects on the environment, governments are able to encourage a cleaner water management. Because a body of water can have an effect on a range of people reaching far beyond that of the watershed, cooperation between different organizations is necessary to prevent the intrusion of contaminants that can lead to eutrophication. Agencies ranging from state governments to those of water resource management and non-governmental organizations, going as low as the local population, are responsible for preventing eutrophication of water bodies. In the United States, the most well known inter[42] state effort to prevent eutrophication is the Chesapeake Bay.

Nitrogen testing and modeling[edit]


Soil Nitrogen Testing (N-Testing) is a technique that helps farmers optimize the amount of fertilizer applied to crops. By testing fields with this method, farmers saw a decrease in fertilizer application costs, [43] a decrease in nitrogen lost to surrounding sources, or both. By testing the soil and modeling the bare minimum amount of fertilizer needed, farmers reap economic benefits while reducing pollution.

Organic farming[edit]
There has been a study that found that organically fertilized fields "significantly reduce harmful nitrate [44] leaching" over conventionally fertilized fields. However, a more recent study found that eutrophication [45] impacts are in some cases higher from organic production than they are from conventional production.

Eutrophication is when plant growth increases in a lake or pond. It causes plants to completely fill where the lake or pond once was. As the plants die off they release carbon dioxide and absorbs the lake's oxygen supply, and causes the fish to die. The dead material eventually makes the lake become a swamp and finally becomes land. Some effects of eutrophication are that the species diversity decreases, the water loses its transparency which is called turbidity, sedimentation increases causing the lake to die, and anoxic condition could develop. Eutrophication could cause important species of fish to disappear, and treating this water could be very difficult and cause drinking water to have a terrible taste or odor. The main cause of eutrophication is to much input of nurtients to a body of water this can be caused by runoff, erosion, firtilized agircultural areas and sewage from cities and waterwaste. This is all increased by human activity. We can't afford for any water in this world to be too dirty to not be able to treat from drinking water, so we need to emphisize on this problem a little more.

Marine nitrogen cycle[edit]

A schematic representing the Marine Nitrogen Cycle

The nitrogen cycle is an important process in the ocean as well. While the overall cycle is similar, there are different players and modes of transfer for nitrogen in the ocean. Nitrogen enters the water through precipitation, runoff, or as N2 from the atmosphere. Nitrogen cannot be utilized by phytoplankton as N2 so [12] it must undergo nitrogen fixation which is performed predominately bycyanobacteria. Without supplies of fixed nitrogen entering the marine cycle the fixed nitrogen would be used up in about 2000 [13] years. Phytoplankton need nitrogen in biologically available forms for the initial synthesis of organic matter. Ammonia and urea are released into the water by excretion from plankton. Nitrogen sources are removed from the euphotic zone by the downward movement of the organic matter. This can occur from sinking of phytoplankton, vertical mixing, or sinking of waste of vertical migrators. The sinking results in ammonia being introduced at lower depths below the euphotic zone. Bacteria are able to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrate but they are inhibited by light so this must occur below the euphotic [14] zone. Ammonification or Mineralization is performed by bacteria to convert the ammonia to [15] ammonium. Nitrification can then occur to convert the ammonium to nitrite and nitrate. Nitrate can be returned to the euphotic zone by vertical mixing and upwelling where it can be taken up by phytoplankton to continue the cycle. N2 can be returned to the atmosphere through denitrification. NH4 is thought to be the preferred source of fixed nitrogen for phytoplankton because its assimilation does not involve a redox reaction and therefore requires little energy. However NO3 is more abundant so most phytoplankton have adapted to have the enzymes necessary to undertake this reduction (nitrate reductase). There are a few notable and well-known exceptions that includeProchlorococcus and [13] + some Synechococcus. These species can only take up nitrogen as NH4 . The nutrients in the ocean are not uniformly distributed. Areas of upwelling provide supplies of nitrogen from below the euphotic zone. Coastal zones provide nitrogen from runoff and upwelling occurs readily
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along the coast. However, the rate at which nitrogen can be taken up by phytoplankton is decreased in oligotrophic waters all year-round and temperate water in the summer resulting in lower primary [16] production. The distribution of the different forms of nitrogen varies throughout the oceans as well. Nitrate is depleted in near-surface water except in upwelling regions. Coastal upwelling regions usually have high nitrate and chlorophyll levels as a result of the increased production. However, there are regions of high surface nitrate but low chlorophyll that are referred to as HNLC (high nitrogen, low chlorophyll) regions. The best explanation for HNLC regions relates to iron limitation in the ocean. In recent years iron has become an important player when discussing ocean dynamics and nutrient cycles. The input of iron varies by region and is delivered to the ocean by dust (from dust storms) and is leached out of rocks. Iron is under consideration as the true limiting element in the ocean. NH4 and NO2 show a maximum concentration at 5080 m (lower end of the euphotic zone) with decreasing concentration below that depth. This distribution can be accounted for by the fact that + NO2 and NH4 are intermediate species. They are both rapidly produced and consumed through the water [13] + [13] column. The amount of NH4 in the ocean is about 3 orders of magnitude less than nitrate. Between + NH4 , NO2, and NO3, NO2 has the fastest turnover rate. It can be produced during NO 3 assimilation, nitrification, and denitrification; however, it is immediately consumed again.
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