AP Environmental Science / Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution
8.5 Eutrophication
Notes
Excess nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) cause algal blooms → algae die → decomposers use oxygen → hypoxia (dead zones) → fish die.
- Sources: fertilizer runoff, sewage, CAFOs.
Practice
The step right after algae die in eutrophication:
Decomposition consumes $\mathrm{O_2}$.
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone is mainly caused by:
Nutrients from farms.
An oligotrophic lake has:
Opposite of eutrophic.
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