5.

4 Eutrophication

What words can you come up with

that start with eu

Some examples of eu words are:

eulogy
euphonic
euphoria
euthanasia
eureka
euphemism
eugenics
eukaryote (versus prokaryote)
utopia (originally eutopia) (there is some argument that
Utopia is derived from Ou topia from Ou meaning nowhere.
Therefore the meaning is a place that does not exist.)

Eutrophication is the natural process of

the aging of a body of water over time.
As more nutrients enter the body of water
and more organisms live and die they add
their organic matter.
Over time this causes the body of water to
become eutrophic (turbid, shallow, warm,
nutrient rich, with complex food webs) and
then become a swamp and then dry up
completely.

 Even though eutrophication is a

natural process it can be accelerated
greatly by human activities such as
increasing levels of nitrates and
phosphates from detergents, sewage
and fertilizers from agricultural
runoff.

 The death of Lake Erie in the mid

1960s is a classic example of
eutrophication as a direct result of
mans dumping of huge amounts of
detergents and fertilizers into the
lake over a relatively short period of
time.

 The following photographs are from

http://www.umanitoba.ca/institutes/f
sheries/eutro.html
and give an excellent description of
eutrophication and experiments that
were done showing the effects.

Aerial view of Lake 227 circa 1975, showing the many marker
floats used
for intensively studying this small, experimentally fertilized
lake.

Aerial view of Lake 227 in 1994. Note the bright green colour
caused by algae stimulated by the experimental addition of phosphorus
for the 26th consecutive year. Lake 305 in the background is unfertilized.

 ELA Lake 226 was the site of a visually

spectacular experiment. The lake was divided into
two approximately equal portions using a plastic
divider curtain. Carbon and nitrogen were added
to one half of the lake, while carbon, nitrogen
and phosphorus were added to the other half.
For eight consecutive years, the side receiving
phosphorus developed eutrophic algal blooms,
while the side receiving only carbon and nitrogen
did not (see photo, below). However, after only
two years, this experiment convinced even the
skeptics that phosphorus is the key nutrient. A
multi-billion dollar phosphate control program
was soon instituted within the St. Lawrence Great
Lakes Basin. Legislation to control phosphates in
sewage, and to remove phosphates from laundry
detergents, was part of this program.

View from above Lake 226 divider curtain in August 1973. The bright green
colour results
from bluegreen algae (Cyanobacteria), which are growing on phosphorus added
to the near side of the curtain.