Why study nutrients?
Nutrients—nitrogen and phosphorus—are essential for life, and important for natural plant and animal growth; but, in high concentrations, nutrients can adversely affect aquatic life and human health. Excessive nitrate in streams and groundwater used for drinking water can result in “blue-baby syndrome,” which causes oxygen levels in the blood of infants to be low, sometimes fatally. Elevated nutrient concentrations in streams can trigger eutrophication, resulting in excessive, often unsightly, growth of algae and other nuisance aquatic plants. These plants can clog water intake pipes and filters and can interfere with recreational activities, such as fishing, swimming, and boating. Subsequent decay of algae can result in foul odors, bad taste, and low dissolved oxygen in water (hypoxia), which can harm fish and shellfish that are economically and ecologically important to the Nation. High nutrient concentrations also can cause growth of harmful algae, which can be potentially toxic to
