Nitrogen Phosphorus & Algae
Always Be Aware of Your Surroundings
One of my friends, Joe and I were out on a forage in a very rural part of the Southern New Jersey Pinelands. During the trek I was astounded by the amount of orange red hued algae in not only the lake, its inlets and tidal pools but the streams that fed into it.
My sleuthing mind went into high gear. I am no newbie to the outdoors or to a firm knowledge of Earth Science. I made the classic mistake of forgetting to put the visual evidence into context. That is a mistake that can cost you your life in a survival situation. Where was I? My mindset was; I am trekking around 150 years old factory surrounded by residential homes and light industry.
So the visual evidence: An overabundance of light brown orange algae in both moving and still water, residential areas all surrounding the sites. The process is known as Eutrophication. (see the graphic below)
My first hypothesis: High levels of nitrates and phosphates in the treated effluent output of the upstream sewerage treatment facility.
As I left the area a few hours later the actual answer hit me like a brick to my forehead ! The area is surrounded by farm land, very large farms. That is context; high level of algae growth, choking off the life of the streams and lakes, direct proximity to farming operations. Boom !!
A classic example of the effect of Nitrate and Phosphate levels on the growth of algae and the subsequent destructive impact of the algae on the ecosystem and life, in, on and around the lake.
Read more about the Nitrate and Phosphate issue its correlation to Leave No Trace, your choices, actions and impact on the trail.
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