Think summer holidays and you’ll likely call up images of a beautiful beach or a glittering blue lake. But more and more lakes, rivers and coastal areas are plagued by an oversupply of nutrients that causes algae to grow at an explosive rate, which can eventually lead to water bodies that can’t support aquatic life.
Think summer holidays and you’ll likely call up images of a beautiful beach or a glittering blue lake. But more and more lakes, rivers and coastal areas are plagued by an oversupply of nutrients that causes algae to grow at an explosive rate, which can eventually lead to water bodies that can’t support aquatic life.
Scientists call this type of water pollution eutrophication, and it is an enormous problem worldwide: There are more than 400 marine ‘dead zones’ caused by over-fertilization, covering an estimated 245,000 km2, which is an area six times the size of Switzerland.
In some water bodies, eutrophication causes huge fish kills and toxic blue green algae blooms, which affects food supply, biodiversity and your favourite swimming spot.
Governments around the globe have battled eutrophication by working with farmers to control nutrient-laden runoff from fields and feedlots. But there’s more to the picture, a new study published in Nature Sustainability shows.
Read more at Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Photo credit: Engin_Akyurt via Pixabay
