Question

Nitrogen fertilizer is added to farmland to improve crop yield and quality. While farmers are working to reduce the amount of runoff from fields, some of the fertilizer enters streams. The streams flow into the Mississippi River and ultimately into the Gulf of Mexico where the added nitrogen supports increased algal and cyanobacterial blooms. The addition of nutrients to water systems, which causes increased growth of algae and cyanobacteria, is termed:

Answer 1

The addition of nutrients to water systems, which causes increased growth of algae and cyanobacteria, is called eutrophication. Eutrophication occurs when nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers runoff into streams and rivers, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The excess nutrients promote the overgrowth of algae and cyanobacteria, leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion in water ecosystems.

Step-by-step explanation:

The addition of nutrients to water systems, which causes increased growth of algae and cyanobacteria, is called eutrophication. Eutrophication occurs when nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers runoff into streams and rivers, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. The excess nutrients promote the overgrowth of algae and cyanobacteria, leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion in water ecosystems.