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Problems and causes cont’d
§High nutrient levels and the changes they
cause in water quality and the makeup of the algal community are detrimental
to the health of coral reefs and the diversity of animal life supported by
seaweed and kelp communities.
§Research during the past decade confirms that
N is the chief culprit in eutrophication and other impacts of nutrient
over-enrichment in temperate coastal waters, while P is most problematic in
eutrophication of freshwater lakes.
§Human conversion of atmospheric N into
biologically useable forms, principally synthetic inorganic fertilizers, now
matches the natural rate of biological N fixation from all the land surfaces
of the earth.