Eutrophication is the process by which aquatic ecosystems become enriched with bioavailable nutrients, primarily reactive nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to excessive primary production, typically algal and cyanobacterial blooms. This nutrient loading often originates from agricultural runoff, wastewater effluents, and atmospheric deposition, and it disrupts ecosystem structure and function by altering species composition, food-web dynamics, and biogeochemical cycles. Subsequent decomposition of bloom biomass elevates microbial respiration, driving hypoxia or anoxia, promoting internal nutrient recycling from sediments, and potentially generating toxic metabolites. Eutrophication is a central research topic in limnology, coastal oceanography, and ecosystem management, integrating hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecological modeling.
The algal blooms increasingly seen in Canadian lakes have been linked to both nutrient pollution from agricultural runoff and climate change. However, a new Concordia-led study using DNA sequencing of lakebed microbes reveals ...
Environment
Sep 30, 2025
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A new study has revealed how tiny microbes in rivers and wetlands across China help clean up excess nitrogen pollution, offering fresh insights into the health of freshwater ecosystems and the global nitrogen cycle.
Ecology
Sep 25, 2025
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Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have developed wheat plants that stimulate the production of their own fertilizer, opening the path toward less air and water pollution worldwide and lower costs for farmers.
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 27, 2025
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The high nitrogen pollution in Europe has many negative consequences: nitrogen dioxide and ammonia worsen air quality, nitrogen deposition in soils reduces biodiversity and leads to the eutrophication and acidification of ...
Environment
Aug 26, 2025
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Tile drainage is a common practice used in agricultural fields to remove excess water, but it also transports harmful nutrients into water bodies, contributing to algal blooms that deprive aquatic life of oxygen. Woodchip ...
Biotechnology
Aug 11, 2025
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For seaside communities reducing their pollution, nitrogen is a prime target. Often found in agricultural runoff and human waste, nitrogen and the nitrogen-containing nitrate molecule can enter coastal waters as a critical ...
Environment
Aug 4, 2025
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Farmers often face tough decisions about how much nitrogen to apply to corn, especially when spring weather disrupts pre-plant fertilizer plans. It's a critical decision: too little nitrogen can limit crop yield and reduce ...
Agriculture
Jun 30, 2025
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Researchers from the HUN-REN Center for Ecological Research have developed a novel three-dimensional modeling method that accurately quantifies how microalgae affect underwater light conditions—one of the most critical factors ...
Ecology
Jun 24, 2025
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NOAA is forecasting this summer's Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) "dead zone" to be average-sized, covering approximately 5,574 square miles—an area roughly three times the size of Delaware. The dead zone, or hypoxic ...
Environment
Jun 12, 2025
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Eutrophication and oxygen depletion are well-known threats to the ecological balance of the Baltic Sea, which is increasingly under pressure due to climate change. In this context, large saltwater inflows from the North Sea ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 3, 2025
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