Eutrophication: Causes, Effects and Control Measures, Lecture notes of Acting

Download Eutrophication: Causes, Effects and Control Measures and more Lecture notes Acting in PDF only on Docsity! Home / Water / Special Reports What is eutrophication? Causes, effects and control Algal bloom in 2010 along the coast of Qingdao, eastern China (http://www.nationalgeographic.it/) After seeing the picture of children swimming in a sea of seaweed, you will surely wonder what strange phenomenon has hit the coast of Qingdao in eastern China. It is an abnormal growth of algae, a clear manifestation of a process called eutrophication. “Eutrophication is an enrichment of water by nutrient salts that causes structural changes to the ecosystem such as: increased production of algae and aquatic plants, depletion of fish species, general deterioration of water quality and other effects that reduce and preclude use”. This is one of the first definitions given to the eutrophic process by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) in the 70s. Eutrophication is a serious environmental problem since it results in a deterioration of water quality and is one of the major impediments to achieving the quality objectives established by the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) at the European level. According to the Survey of the State of the World's Lakes, a project promoted by the International Lake Environment Committee, eutrophication affects 54% of Asian lakes, 53% of those in Europe, 48% of those in North America, 41% of those in South America and 28% of those in Africa (www.lescienze.it). All water bodies are subject to a natural and slow eutrophication process, which in recent decades has undergone a very rapid progression due to the presence of man and his activities (so called cultural eutrophication). The cultural eutrophication process consists of a continuous increase in the contribution of nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus (organic load) until it exceeds the capacity of the water body (i.e. the capacity of a lake, river or sea to purify itself) , triggering structural changes in the waters. These structural changes mainly depend on 3 factors: • Use of fertilisers: Agricultural practices and the use of fertilisers in the soil contribute to the accumulation of nutrients. When these nutrients reach high concentration levels and the ground is no longer able to assimilate them, they are carried by rain into rivers and groundwater that flow into lakes or seas. Home / Water / Special Reports Example of fertiliser spreading on agricultural land • Discharge of waste water into water bodies: In various parts of the world, and particularly in developing countries, waste water is discharged directly into water bodies such as rivers, lakes and seas. The result of this is the release of a high quantity of nutrients which stimulates the disproportionate growth of algae. In industrialised countries, on the other hand, waste water can be illegally discharged directly into water bodies. When instead water is treated by means of water treatment plants before discharge into the environment, the treatments applied are not always such as to reduce the organic load, with the consequent accumulation of nutrients in the ecosystem. Example of discharge of waste water into a reservoir • Reduction of self purification capacity: Over the years, lakes accumulate large quantities of solid material transported by the water (sediments). These sediments are such as to able to absorb large amounts of nutrients and pollutants. Consequently, the accumulation of sediments starts to fill the basin and, increasing the interactions between water and sediment, the resuspension of nutrients present at the bottom of the basin is facilitated (N. Sechi, 1986). This phenomenon could in fact lead to a further deterioration of water quality, accentuating the processes connected with eutrophication (V. Tonolli, 2001). Home / Water / Special Reports Control In the past, the traditional eutrophication reduction strategies, including the alteration of excess nutrients, physical mixing of the water, application of powerful herbicides and algaecides, have proven ineffective, expensive and impractical for large ecosystems (Michael F. Chislock, 2013). Today, the main control mechanism of the eutrophic process is based on prevention techniques, namely removal of the nutrients that are introduced into water bodies from the water. It would be sufficient to reduce the concentrations of one of the two main nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), in particular phosphorus which is considered to be the limiting factor for the growth of algae, acting on localised loads (loads associated with waste water) and widespread loads (phosphorus loads determined by diffuse sources such as land and rain). The load is the quantity (milligrams, kilograms, tons, etc.) of nutrients introduced into the environment due to human activity. The possible activities to be undertaken to prevent the introduction of nutrients and to limit phosphorus loads can be summarised as follows (www3.uninsubria.it): • improvement of the purifying performance of waste water treatment plants, installing tertiary treatment systems to reduce nutrient concentrations; • implementation of effective filter ecosystems to remove nitrogen and phosphorus present in the run-off water (such as phyto-purification plants); • reduction of phosphorous in detergents; • rationalisation of agricultural techniques through proper planning of fertilisation and use of slow release fertilisers; • use of alternative practices in animal husbandry to limit the production of waste water. In cases where water quality is already so compromised as to render any preventive initiative ineffective, "curative" procedures can be implemented, such as: • removal and treatment of hypolimnetic water (deep water in contact with the sediments) rich in nutrients since in direct contact with the release source; • drainage of the first 10-20 cm of sediment subject to biological reactions and with high phosphorus concentrations; • oxygenation of water for restore the ecological conditions, reducing the negative effects of the eutrophic process, such as scarcity of oxygen and formation of toxic compounds deriving from the anaerobic metabolism; • chemical precipitation of phosphorous by the addition of iron or aluminium salts or calcium carbonate to the water, which give rise to the precipitation of the respective iron, aluminium or calcium orthophosphates, thereby reducing the negative effects related to the excessive presence of phosphorus in the sediments. Conclusions Water is not a commercial product like any other but rather a heritage which must be defended and protected, especially in the presence of a global decline in the availability of drinking water and increase in its demand. Despite the considerable efforts made to improve the water quality by limiting nutrient enrichment, cultural eutrophication and the resulting algal blooms continue to be the main cause of water pollution. The prevention and protection action that countries must adopt to safeguard the quality of surface water as requested not only by the scientific community and other experts, but to an increasing extent also by citizens and environmental organisations, is therefore increasingly important (http://ec.europa.eu). Management of the eutrophic process is a complex issue that will require the collective efforts of scientists, policy makers and citizens. Home / Water / Special Reports By Francesca Scannone • Bibliographical references Arpa Umbria (2009). Stato di qualità ambientale del laghi e analisi dei trend evolutivi. Documento Tecnico. • Fenomeni di inquinamento delle acque naturali: http://www3.uninsubria.it/uninsubria/allegati/pagine/5114/eutrofizzazione.pdf • http://algaeanalytics.com/blog/2016/2/19/algae-blooms-a-general-discussion • http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/info/intro_en.htm • http://news.psu.edu/story/361695/2015/06/25/research/project-reduce-risk-harmful-algal-blooms-ponds-and- lakes • http://www.ecologiae.com/inquinamento-delle-acque/36576 • http://www.ehow.com/list_7346477_harmful-effects-fertilizers-pesticides.html • http://www.lescienze.it/news/2008/07/22/news/eutrofizzazione_dei_laghi_non_solo_azoto-578799/ • http://www.nationalgeographic.it/ambiente/2011/07/27/foto/cina_la_marea_verde_che_soffoca_le_spiagge- 438797/3/#media • http://www.rivistadiagraria.org/articoli/anno-2013/laghetti-collinari-e-interrimento/ • http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/publications/short_series/lakereservoirs-3/1.asp • Michael F. Chislock ( 2013) Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences, and Controls in Aquatic Ecosystems - Nature Education • N. Sechi (1986), Il Problema dell'eutrofizzazione dei laghi: la situazione trofica degli invasi della Sardegna. Bollettino della Società sarda di scienze naturali, Vol. 25 p. 49-62. ISSN 0392-6710. • V. Tonolli, Introduzione Allo Studio Della Limnologia (Ecologia E Biologia Delle Acque Dolci). versione elettronica di Roberto Bertoni del testo originale rivisto da Gianluigi Giussani - CNR Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia 2001.