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ShareEutrophication is the enrichment of an ecosystem with chemical nutrients, typically compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, or both.
Eutrophication can be a natural process in lakes, occurring as they age through geological time.
Eutrophication was recognized as a pollution problem in European and North American lakes and reservoirs in the mid-20th century.
Human activities can accelerate the rate at which nutrients enter ecosystems.
Runoff from agriculture and development, pollution from septic systems and sewers, and other human-related activities increase the flux of both inorganic nutrients and organic substances into terrestrial, aquatic, and coastal marine ecosystems (including coral reefs).
For more information about the topic Eutrophication, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
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