Ecology
Eutrophication
Excessive nutrient enrichment that kills ecosystems by fueling unsustainable growth. Too much of a good thing—fertilizer, capital, attention—triggers boom-and-bust cycles that leave dead zones.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 1 chapter:
Biological Context
Nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers fuel algal growth. When algae die, decomposition by bacteria consumes oxygen, creating hypoxic 'dead zones' where fish and other organisms cannot survive. The Gulf of Mexico dead zone spans approximately 16,000 square kilometers. Eutrophication has created over 400 ocean dead zones and degraded freshwater ecosystems worldwide. The process demonstrates that essential nutrients become toxic at excessive concentrations.