15
Significant process degrading the Black Sea
§Over-fertilization of the sea by compounds of
N and P, largely as a result of agricultural (late 1960s, "green revolution"), domestic and industrial sources. This
over-fertilization produces eutrophication which has changed the structure of
the Black Sea ecosystem.
§It is estimated that the six Black Sea
countries contribute about 70% of the total amount of the substances flowing
to the Black Sea as waste from human activities.
§The remaining 30% (from the other eleven
non-coastal countries) enter the Sea via the Danube River.
§Current phosphate levels appear to be roughly
the same as in the 1960s but total nitrogen levels are still at least four
times as those observed during that period.