Effects of Eutrophication on Water Quality
Advisor(s)
Patrick Kearney; Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Discipline
Environmental Science
Start Date
21-4-2021 8:50 AM
End Date
21-4-2021 9:05 AM
Abstract
Eutrophication causes an influx of excess nutrients and detritus in fresh aquatic bodies and is known to detrimentally affect the water quality. By analyzing the effects of Eutrophication on a water body and its water quality through a span of 40 years, the effect it has on water quality can be quantified and found. In Illinois, statewide monitoring of nitrate levels began in ~1980, and since then, the quantity of nitrates has almost increased twofold from 234 million lb N/yr to 452 million lb N/yr. This increase in nitrates in aquatic bodies causes Eutrophication to occur, and as a result, the quality of water decreases. Measured oxygen levels, pH, and turbidity in specific bodies of water are used to represent the quality of water and are compared to nitrate levels to calculate the effect of nitrates on water quality. To minimize outside factors, forestry data from different counties throughout Illinois were compared and used to see how results differed based on forestry. The rise of nitrates in aquatic body shows a direct relation to the decrease of water quality, and actions to reduce major factors of Eutrophication should be used to mitigate significant decreases in water quality.
Effects of Eutrophication on Water Quality
Eutrophication causes an influx of excess nutrients and detritus in fresh aquatic bodies and is known to detrimentally affect the water quality. By analyzing the effects of Eutrophication on a water body and its water quality through a span of 40 years, the effect it has on water quality can be quantified and found. In Illinois, statewide monitoring of nitrate levels began in ~1980, and since then, the quantity of nitrates has almost increased twofold from 234 million lb N/yr to 452 million lb N/yr. This increase in nitrates in aquatic bodies causes Eutrophication to occur, and as a result, the quality of water decreases. Measured oxygen levels, pH, and turbidity in specific bodies of water are used to represent the quality of water and are compared to nitrate levels to calculate the effect of nitrates on water quality. To minimize outside factors, forestry data from different counties throughout Illinois were compared and used to see how results differed based on forestry. The rise of nitrates in aquatic body shows a direct relation to the decrease of water quality, and actions to reduce major factors of Eutrophication should be used to mitigate significant decreases in water quality.