Eutrophication is a process in which a body of water changes with time as deposits of nutrients and sediments (particles of sand, silt, and clay) from the surrounding area accumulate.

The Process of Eutrophication

In euthrophication, the chemical characteristics of the water changes. The biology of the water, in terms of the types of organisms that can live in that water body, also changes. Eutrophication involves an increase in the level of plants' food sources in the water. Younger water bodies that have lower levels of nutrients do not support much life. As the nutrients increase, more life can develop in the water. Indeed, the word eutrophic comes from the Greek word eu meaning "well" and trophic, meaning "feeding." The term eutrophic, therefore, literally means "well nourished." At the other end of the scale is an overgrowth of plants including the microscopic chlorophyll-containing algae, which will rob the...