Eutrophication Targets: Comparing areas that are most susceptible to nitrogen runoff

Abstract

Eutrophication due to nitrogen runoff is a big problem in many lakes today. Bodies of water with a high amount of phosphorous are more susceptible to eutrophication. In this experiment we looked at cell density in four different bodies of water. By comparing original sources of four different lake samples to the same sources with added nitrogen and counting the algae growth in terms of density, we found that, for the most part, the growth of algae was very similar in the four water sources. Our data showed that the sample from the Dolese Main sample survived and thrived better than the other three samples.