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Water pollution 4.4 2 - Coggle Diagram
Water pollution 4.4 2
Eutrophication
Occurs when bodies of water receive an input of nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) resulting in the excess growth of plants (algae) and phytoplankton.
"Natural/artificial enrichment of a body of water, with respect to nitrate and phosphates that result in the depletion of O2 (anoxic condition). It's accelerated by anthropogenic activities that add detergents, sewage or agricultural fertilisers to bodies of water"
Dead zones: Regions where oxygen concentrations are very low. Occurs in oceans or freshwater when there is not enough O2 to support marine life.
Caused by an interaction between biological, chemical and physical factors. Animals and plants die or leave the zone.
Impacts
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Loss of fertilisers from fields = reduced crop productivity = farm yield + profit. Cost of treating anoxic waters is expensive
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Alter human activity
Avoid spreading fertilisers in winter: soil is bare = runoff may wash fertilisers into streams / lakes
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Clean up / restore
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Use barley bales to lock up nitrates in the water:
- A plant that absorbs the nitrates as it decays
- It is a non-point source of pollution hence, the source is difficult to place. Not all countries have resources to implement the strategies.
- The pollution can also be natural = nutrients added from decomposing biomass, upwelling ocean currents bringing nutrients to the surface = human induced happens a lot faster and on a larger scale.