How Can Algal Blooms Cause Nitrates

Eutrophication is a concern in the Chesapeake Bay. Eutrophication is caused by excessive amounts of nutrients. Excessive nutrients in the bay have negative effects on the bay's ecosystem. The extra nutrients make the environment unbalanced. The extra nutrients cause a chain reaction that eventually kills most of the organisms in that area. This is what is known as a dead zone.

When harmful blooms occur that can potentially impact the health of people using the rivers.

Did you ever wonder how things you do everyday effect the Chesapeake Bay watershed and Its tributaries? Well, It turns out to be not so good. One of the main causes for the Bay’s bad health are nutrients which are caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water. Plants and animals need nutrients to survive but when too many nutrients are in the water they fuel the growth of algae blooms and create conditions that are harmful for aquatic creatures.

Even though, fertilizers are needed to supply essential nutrients to the growth of plants; an excess of them is one of the major issues contributing to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Fertilizers are mainly composed of two elements: nitrogen and phosphorus.(4) Throughout the years, millions of pounds of this nutrients are applied all around the Chesapeake Bay Watershed; everything not absorbed by the soil or taken up by plants eventually reaches the Chesapeake Bay through storm-water runoff. This nutrients end up creating algae blooms in the water, which reduce the amount of sunlight available to underwater grasses; not allowing plants to photosynthesize and produce the food they need to survive. Algae then decomposes creating dead zones killing fish and other species since oxygen is needed for any organism to live. (5)

Algae blooms have been an issue in the Chesapeake Bay, especially in the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Algae is a natural and critical part of the ecosystem, however in large doses it is harmful to the plants and organisms within the ecosystem. Algae blooms can block out sunlight and kill other plants in the water. Algae depends on various factors such as water, nutrients and carbon dioxide to grow. Eutrophication of the Inner Harbor has lead to algae blooms that have caused large fish kills in the past. When there is an over abundance of certain chemical nutrients eutrophication can occur. Runoff from land and farms is the main cause of excess nutrients into the water. The most common nutrients that are related to algae outbreaks are nitrate nitrogen and phosphate. In addition, a lack of dissolved oxygen can also be an indicator for the process of eutrophication and risk of an algae outbreak. A particular type of algae commonly found in Maryland is known as Prorocentrum minimum. Prorocentrum tends to cause “mahogany tides” causing water to be brown and have an odor. There has been a campaign launched by the Healthy Harbor

Harmful chemicals, manure, and pollution factor into it. These can cause large amounts of blue-green algae, which can be more of an issue then the nitrates. They take away oxygen from the water which would cause a decrease in organisms. In the article, “The muted voice in water quality debate is finally heard.” Mike Kilen (2016) says, “But while we focus on nitrates, we also can’t forget the dangerous bacteria and blue-green algae increasingly popping up in our rivers that are even more a danger to public health.” So although the fertilizer problem is important, the nitrates and phosphorous is not the only thing to worry

The snow crab population is also increasing (Frank et al., 2005; Scheffer et al., 2005). This increase has led to the decrease in the large-bodied zooplankton species (>2 mm) because this is what the shrimp and crab populations prefer to feed off of (Frank et al., 2005; Scheffer et al., 2005). Now that the zooplankton abundance isn’t as high, the phytoplankton population has increased, which is due to the reduced pressure being put on them by the zooplankton (Frank et al., 2005; Scheffer et al., 2005). Lastly, the concentration of nitrate is lower, which suggests the phytoplankton populations are depleting it more strongly (Frank et al., 2005; Scheffer et al., 2005). These changes in the ecosystem can be quite harmful and can lead to breakouts of disease in the lower trophic levels because the populations become so dense that they are more prone to catching a disease (Jackson et al., 2001).

It is a known fact that unnecessary amounts of lawn fertilizer, containing nitrogen and phosphorus, are commonly used, and result in pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. This occurs through runoff. Not all of the nutrients from runoff get transported directly to the Bay. Overtime, some are absorbed into the ground, where they mix with groundwater, and later meets up with the Bay. For example, in a stream near Baltimore, scientists discovered that 56% of the nutrients in the water came from lawn fertilizer alone (Chesapeake Bay Program, 2011). Nitrogen and phosphorus are not only the primary nutrients in lawn fertilizer, they are also the primary nutrients required to sustain aquatic biological productivity, in the correct moderation. In freshwater ecosystems, the growth of phytoplankton and algae are influenced by a surplus of nitrogen and phosphorus. Aquatic grasses living under this excess growth are then inhibited from growing, eventually leading towards grass bed loss, due to the lack of sunlight available. Lack of sunlight results in a lack of photosynthesis. Unlike the more

Sewage treatment plants, air pollution, animal feed lots, and polluted runoff from cropland are four major sources to this issue. All of these forms of pollution create an overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorous in the water. According to The Chesapeake Bay Foundation,“The largest source of pollution to the Bay comes from agricultural runoff, which contributes roughly 40 percent of the nitrogen and 50 percent of the phosphorus entering the Chesapeake Bay.” Although nitrogen and phosphorous are beneficial in moderation for the organisms living in the Chesapeake Bay, they cause a notable amount of damage in excess. Excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous cause algal blooms. There are many different types of algae, some are good for the ecosystem, and some are dangerous and can cause “dead zones” where aquatic life no longer flourishes. Too much or too little of both good and bad algae can be extremely harmful to the marine

In Lake Erie, there is out-of-control algae growth that created dead zones. The problem has become critical in the western Lake because of harmful chemicals. Contaminants in fish certainly are causing health problems. At present, the solution is to make

When talking about water quality, many of the given factors can change what you’re given to drink. Nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, and pH levels all affect the drinking water quality.

Scientists are concerned that the runoff from excess potting soil combined with lower-than-normal river flow has caused toxic blue algae to appear in North Coast Rivers over the last decade. The bacteria pose a risk to swimmers and kills aquatic invertebrates that salmon and trout eat. Officials have had to warn residents and their pets to stay away from the rivers. So far, 11 dogs have died from the bacteria since

Today pollution is very high in both inland and marine waters. All different types of water pollution are contributing factors in this problem. Here are some things that are associated with pollution: Pathogens: Pathogens are disease causing bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. They usually come

the Changjiang (Yangtze) River plume and its surrounding sea along China’s coast. High fishery yield is normally supported by high primary production and abundant food sources from lower trophic levels (Caddy, 1993; Xu et al., 2004). Indeed, primary production can reach as high as 2079 mg C m-3 d-1 in the Changjiang River plume region, mostly induced by high rates of riverine nutrient supply (e.g., Gong et al., 2003; Gong et al., 2006). In the past two decades, the anthropogenic nutrient load (e.g. nitrates) exported from the Changjiang River into the ECS has increased over ten- fold, and there is continuous growth peer-00562971, version 1 - 4 Feb 2011 expected in the future (Yan et al., 2003; Li and Dag, 2004; Bouwman et al., 2005). Excess nutrients cause eutrophication and stimulate noxious and toxic algal blooms, which have been observed with increased frequently on the inner shelf off Changjiang River (Chen et al., 2003; Gao and Song, 2005; Zhu, 2005; Zhu et al., 2005). There are, however, few studies

Nitrates in groundwater have become a major issue around the world and have held people back from drinking clean water. One of the many places being affected by this issue, is a city in the state of Minnesota by the name, Cold Spring.The main issue for such high capacities of nitrate in water is cropland agriculture. Cold Spring has had to forcefully shut down a couple of their city wells due to these high levels of nitrate in their water, leaving the city with a very low capacity of water to use, and drink. This issue has gotten very far, to the point that the safest level for drinking water is 10 milligrams. Drinking water that contains nitrates can be very harmful to the body and can also develop syndromes in babies.