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Preferred term

runoff and eutrophication  

Definition

  • Eutrophication, or cultural eutrophication, is the enhancement of the natural process by which streams, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries become enriched with nutrients (phosphorous and nitrogen), enabling the ecosystem to support higher rates of production as measured by biomass or energy per unit area over time. This natural process of enrichment can take thousands of years and result in the succession of a glacial lake into a bog and, eventually, a prairie. [Source: Encyclopedia of Social Problems; Environment, Runoff and Eutrophication]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/runoff_and_eutrophication

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