EutrophicationToo Much of a Good Thing

OBJECTIVE:

You will be able to explain the steps of eutrophication and draw examples.

What is Eutrophication?

Eutrophication – when there are too many nutrients (usually from pollution) in water, which causes algae to overgrow and eventually destroy the water ecosystem

Steps of Eutrophication:

1. Too many nutrients go into water (pollution)

2. Algae overgrows

3. Algae eventually dies

4. Bacteria decompose dead algae and use up all the oxygen

5. Fish and other animals die without oxygen

6. Water ecosystem collapses.

Let’s read about Eutrophication. Please take out a highlighter and highlight important information in the reading worksheet.

When you are done reading, you will create a comic strip illustrating the steps of eutrophication. There are four boxes at the bottom, so some steps you will need to draw together. You may label your pictures.

Example of eutrophication:

1. Pond is doing fine, but pollution is dumped in.

2. Algae overgrows and covers the pond

3. Algae dies, bacteria decomposes it and use up the oxygen.

4. Most organisms in the pond die from lack of oxygen – ecosystem is destroyed.