Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, January 31). The Effects: Dead Zones and Harmful Algal Blooms | US EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved August 14, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/effects-dead-zones-and-harmful-algal-blooms
Dead zones happen when a burst of algae bloom and consume all of the oxygen in a certain area. These dead zones kill all life in the affected area except the algae that blooms. These blooms happen when an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus cause the rapid growth of algae. The algae also blocks out the sun and harms aquatic plants and when the algae dies it takes all the oxygen with it and creates an oxygen-less void. The main problem that leads to an algae bloom is nutrient pollution. Nutrient pollution is caused solely by human impact.
It seems that the main cause of nutrient pollution algae blooms is agricultural activities. Many fertilizers have nitrogen and phosphorus to help plants grow. Because our agriculture industry is so widespread across the U.S. it makes many of our bodies off water prone to algae blooms. Some of these blooms are harmful to not just aquatic life, but also towards humans. Some things that we can do in our homes is to reduce fertilizer use, plant native plants, and to not overwater gardens.
I agree with your argument about algae blooms being driven by agricultural activities, and love your suggestions!
I appreciate your descriptions of the terms that you used in this article. I agree with your suggestions and hope that these simple solutions can be acted on.
This is interesting, talking about how these algae multiply and how that affects the ecosystem they are within. but how they are not harmful to plants but instead are helpful in providing nutrients.