How does fertilizer affect algae blooms?

Plants, just like humans, need a variety of nutrients to grow and thrive. Too much fertilizer can actually kill the plant and excess fertilizer can runoff into streams and lakes causing toxic algal blooms that are harmful to aquatic life and even people and their pets.

Why does fertilizer stimulate algae growth?

Oxygen depletion often occurs when excessive amounts of organic fertilizers are applied. As the organic material breaks down (decay) and provides the nutrients that stimulate production of the algal bloom, it also removes oxygen from the water during the chemical process of decay.

What fertilizer causes algae blooms?

Nutrient pollution is the process where too many nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to bodies of water and can act like fertilizer, causing excessive growth of algae.

What is the main cause of algal blooms?

The development and proliferation of algal blooms likely result from a combination of environmental factors including available nutrients, temperature, sunlight, ecosystem disturbance (stable/mixing conditions, turbidity), hydrology (river flow and water storage levels) and the water chemistry (pH, conductivity.

Why are algae blooms bad?

The green scum formed by dense algal blooms is unsightly, smells bad and can make water toxic to humans and fish, causing illness and—in some cases—death. When algae die, they are decomposed by bacteria, which can remove oxygen from the water, occasionally killing fish.

Does fertilizer make algae?

Nitrogen and phosphorus compounds from fertilizers are among the most common pollutants. They contribute to pollution by causing algae and bacteria in the water to reproduce rapidly.

Does algae feed on fertilizer?

In New System, Algae Cleans Water, Then Transforms into Organic Fertilizer. Algal blooms that feed on nutrient-rich manure and fertilizer runoff can deplete oxygen in the water when they die, creating inhospitable dead zones — but the same green scum might also serve as a preventive solution upstream.

What can we do to stop algae blooms?

Use phosphorus-free fertilizers and detergents to limit nutrient-rich runoff. Have a pond management professional apply phosphorous-binding products, which prevent nutrients from stimulating algae growth, in nutrient heavy lakes and ponds. Practice relative awareness of changing climate and research support.

What are the negative effects of algal bloom?

What are the effects of harmful algal blooms?

Produce extremely dangerous toxins that can sicken or kill people and animals.
Create dead zones in the water.
Raise treatment costs for drinking water.
Hurt industries that depend on clean water.

Can you stop an algae bloom?

What kind of fertilizer is bad for algal blooms?

Run-off from nearby farmers using nitrogen rich and potassium rich fertilizers leads to little algal growth and organisms cannot get the oxygen they need. Farmers using phosphorous rich fertilizer are also detrimental to wetland marine life because their run-off causes the overgrowth of algae blooms.

What are the effects of algal blooms on water?

Elevated nutrient levels and algal blooms can also cause problems in drinking water in communities nearby and upstream from dead zones. Harmful algal blooms release toxins that contaminate drinking water, causing illnesses for animals and humans.

How are nitrogen and phosphorus related to algae blooms?

In the study, in lakes where nitrogen and phosphorus were both decreased, the decline in algae correlated only with declining phosphorus, while excess nitrogen was either denitrified or accumulated in dissolved form.

How does fertilizer affect the development of marine life?

Farmers using phosphorous rich fertilizer are also detrimental to wetland marine life because their run-off causes the overgrowth of algae blooms. As the blooms become denser, there is an increase in competition for nutrients. Eventually the algae uses up all the nutrients and dies.