Like people, plants need nutrients, but too much of a good thing can be a problem. Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, occur naturally, but most of the nutrients in our waterways come from human activities and sources—fertilizers, wastewater, automobile exhaust, animal waste. The USGS investigates the source, transport, and fate of nutrients and their impacts on the world around us.
Featured: Nutrient yields in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin
A new USGS study estimates total nitrogen (N) and total phosphorus (P) yields from catchments throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin, which drains about 41% of the conterminous U.S. Results could assist nutrient reduction strategies.
Featured: Predicting Levels
A new study successfully predicts when mixtures of the toxins produced by these blooms in Kabetogama Lake, Voyageurs National Park, will exceed drinking-water guidelines.
BACKGROUND
Nutrients are essential for plant growth, but the overabundance of nutrients in water can have many harmful health and environmental effects. An overabundance of nutrients—primarily nitrogen and phosphorus—in water starts a process called eutrophication. Algae feed on the nutrients, growing, spreading, and turning the water green. Algae blooms can smell bad, block sunlight, and even release toxins in some cases. When the algae die, they are decomposed by bacteria—this process consumes the oxygen dissolved in the water and needed by fish and other aquatic life to "breathe". If enough oxygen is removed, the water can become hypoxic, where there is not enough oxygen to sustain life, creating a "dead zone".
WHAT ARE NUTRIENTS?
Nutrients are chemical elements found in the food that plants and animals need to grow and survive. Although there are many kinds of nutrients, two of the most important and abundant are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen and phosphorus occur in a variety of forms, or species, and the species present can change as they move between the air, water, and soil.
- AMMONIA (NH3) and AMMONIUM (NH4+) are among the primary forms of nitrogen in natural waters. Ammonia can be toxic to fish. It is also soluble in water and relatively unstable in most environments. Ammonia is easily transformed into nitrate (NO3-) in waters that contain sufficient dissolved oxygen or into nitrogen gas in waters that have no dissolved oxygen.
- NITRATE (NO3-) is another primary form of nitrogen in lakes and streams. Nitrate is verysoluble in water and is stable over a wide range of environmental conditions. It is readily transported in groundwater and streams. An excessive amount of nitrate in drinking water can cause health problems.
- PHOSPHATES (containing PO43−) are the most common form of phosphorus in natural waters. Phosphates are only moderately soluble and, compared to nitrate, are not very mobile in soils and groundwater. Phosphates tend to remain attached to soil particles, but erosion can transport considerable amounts of phosphate to streams and lakes.
Learn more about nutrients in our Nation's surface water and groundwater.
USGS Circular 1350
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE EXCESSIVE NUTRIENTS?
Eutrophication is a natural process that results from accumulation of nutrients in lakes or other bodies of water. Algae that feed on nutrients grow into unsightly scum on the water surface, decreasing recreational value and clogging water-intake pipes. Decaying mats of dead algae can produce foul tastes and odors in the water; their decay by bacteria consumes dissolved oxygen from the water, sometimes causing fish kills. Human activities can accelerate eutrophication by increasing the rate at which nutrients enter the water. Algal growth is usually limited by the available supply of either phosphate or nitrate, and we say that a water body is nitrogen limited if the ratio of nitrogen species to phosphorus species (N:P) is low, or is phosphorus limited if N:P is high.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are can be caused by many different types of algae in freshwater ecosystems, and can be triggered by nutrient enrichment. The most frequent and severe blooms typically are caused by cyanobacteria, the only known freshwater algae with the potential for production of toxins potent enough to harm human health. CyanoHABs can threaten human and aquatic ecosystem health. Economic damages related to cyanoHABs include the loss of recreational revenue, decreased property values, and increased drinking-water treatment costs.
RELATED USGS RESEARCH
The USGS works extensively across the country on a variety of aspects related to nutrients and eutrophication. Explore the related projects tab for some examples or click the links below.
- Agriculture and the Quality of the Nation's Waters
- Regional Stream Quality Assessments
- SPARROW modeling: Estimating nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport
- Harmful Algal Blooms
- Effects of Nutrient Enrichment on Stream Ecosystems
- Nutrient Loading for the Mississippi River and Subbasins
- Water-Quality Benchmarks, Including Nutrient Criteria
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Nutrients can come from many areas, but mostly they are associated with runoff from agricultural applications. Here are a few studies that relate to nutrients.
Agriculture and the Quality of the Nation's Waters
SPARROW modeling: Estimating nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport
NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
Groundwater/Surface-Water Interaction
Agricultural Contaminants
Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants
Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA)
Phosphorus and Water
Nitrogen and Water
Biological Response to Nutrients
Excess Nutrients
See what is newsworthy concerning water-quality in the Nation's lakes and rivers.
What's In Your Stream? Get Online to Find Out!
A new update to an online interactive tool for learning about pesticides, nutrients, and overall stream health in major regions of the U.S. is available from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Regional Stream Quality Assessment.
- Overview
Like people, plants need nutrients, but too much of a good thing can be a problem. Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, occur naturally, but most of the nutrients in our waterways come from human activities and sources—fertilizers, wastewater, automobile exhaust, animal waste. The USGS investigates the source, transport, and fate of nutrients and their impacts on the world around us.
Featured: Nutrient yields in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin
A new USGS study estimates total nitrogen (N) and total phosphorus (P) yields from catchments throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin, which drains about 41% of the conterminous U.S. Results could assist nutrient reduction strategies.
Featured: Predicting Levels
A new study successfully predicts when mixtures of the toxins produced by these blooms in Kabetogama Lake, Voyageurs National Park, will exceed drinking-water guidelines.
BACKGROUND
Nutrients are essential for plant growth, but the overabundance of nutrients in water can have many harmful health and environmental effects. An overabundance of nutrients—primarily nitrogen and phosphorus—in water starts a process called eutrophication. Algae feed on the nutrients, growing, spreading, and turning the water green. Algae blooms can smell bad, block sunlight, and even release toxins in some cases. When the algae die, they are decomposed by bacteria—this process consumes the oxygen dissolved in the water and needed by fish and other aquatic life to "breathe". If enough oxygen is removed, the water can become hypoxic, where there is not enough oxygen to sustain life, creating a "dead zone".
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.A scientist collects water-quality sample to better understand the role of nutrients in the overabundance of duckweed and algae. Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in water can lead to an overgrowth of free-floating plants such as duckweed and filamentous algae, resulting in dense layers of scum on the surface of the water. This can damage aquatic plants, fish, and other lake organisms by depriving them of the oxygen and sunlight they need to survive. (Credit: James Fischer) WHAT ARE NUTRIENTS?
Nutrients are chemical elements found in the food that plants and animals need to grow and survive. Although there are many kinds of nutrients, two of the most important and abundant are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen and phosphorus occur in a variety of forms, or species, and the species present can change as they move between the air, water, and soil.
- AMMONIA (NH3) and AMMONIUM (NH4+) are among the primary forms of nitrogen in natural waters. Ammonia can be toxic to fish. It is also soluble in water and relatively unstable in most environments. Ammonia is easily transformed into nitrate (NO3-) in waters that contain sufficient dissolved oxygen or into nitrogen gas in waters that have no dissolved oxygen.
- NITRATE (NO3-) is another primary form of nitrogen in lakes and streams. Nitrate is verysoluble in water and is stable over a wide range of environmental conditions. It is readily transported in groundwater and streams. An excessive amount of nitrate in drinking water can cause health problems.
- PHOSPHATES (containing PO43−) are the most common form of phosphorus in natural waters. Phosphates are only moderately soluble and, compared to nitrate, are not very mobile in soils and groundwater. Phosphates tend to remain attached to soil particles, but erosion can transport considerable amounts of phosphate to streams and lakes.
Learn more about nutrients in our Nation's surface water and groundwater.
USGS Circular 1350WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE EXCESSIVE NUTRIENTS?
Eutrophication is a natural process that results from accumulation of nutrients in lakes or other bodies of water. Algae that feed on nutrients grow into unsightly scum on the water surface, decreasing recreational value and clogging water-intake pipes. Decaying mats of dead algae can produce foul tastes and odors in the water; their decay by bacteria consumes dissolved oxygen from the water, sometimes causing fish kills. Human activities can accelerate eutrophication by increasing the rate at which nutrients enter the water. Algal growth is usually limited by the available supply of either phosphate or nitrate, and we say that a water body is nitrogen limited if the ratio of nitrogen species to phosphorus species (N:P) is low, or is phosphorus limited if N:P is high.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are can be caused by many different types of algae in freshwater ecosystems, and can be triggered by nutrient enrichment. The most frequent and severe blooms typically are caused by cyanobacteria, the only known freshwater algae with the potential for production of toxins potent enough to harm human health. CyanoHABs can threaten human and aquatic ecosystem health. Economic damages related to cyanoHABs include the loss of recreational revenue, decreased property values, and increased drinking-water treatment costs.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Harmful algal blooms turn water in Milford Lake, Kansas, emerald green. (Credit: Jennifer Graham, USGS) RELATED USGS RESEARCH
The USGS works extensively across the country on a variety of aspects related to nutrients and eutrophication. Explore the related projects tab for some examples or click the links below.
- Agriculture and the Quality of the Nation's Waters
- Regional Stream Quality Assessments
- SPARROW modeling: Estimating nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport
- Harmful Algal Blooms
- Effects of Nutrient Enrichment on Stream Ecosystems
- Nutrient Loading for the Mississippi River and Subbasins
- Water-Quality Benchmarks, Including Nutrient Criteria
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Science
Nutrients can come from many areas, but mostly they are associated with runoff from agricultural applications. Here are a few studies that relate to nutrients.
Agriculture and the Quality of the Nation's Waters
Intensive studies by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project in agricultural areas provide insight into how agricultural activities have altered the natural flow of water and the way that agricultural chemicals enter streams and aquifers, and in particular how nutrients affect algal and invertebrate communities in agricultural streams.SPARROW modeling: Estimating nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport
SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) models estimate the amount of a contaminant transported from inland watersheds to larger water bodies by linking monitoring data with information on watershed characteristics and contaminant sources. Interactive, online SPARROW mapping tools allow for easy access to explore relations between human activities, natural processes, and...NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are caused by a complex set of physical, chemical, biological, hydrological, and meteorological conditions. Many unanswered questions remain about occurrence, environmental triggers for toxicity, and the ability to predict the timing, duration, and toxicity of HABs.Groundwater/Surface-Water Interaction
Water and the chemicals it contains are constantly being exchanged between the land surface and the subsurface. Surface water seeps into the ground and recharges the underlying aquifer—groundwater discharges to the surface and supplies the stream with baseflow. USGS Integrated Watershed Studies assess these exchanges and their effect on surface-water and groundwater quality and quantity.Agricultural Contaminants
About 40 percent of the land in the United States is used for agriculture, and agriculture supplies a major part of the our food, feed, and fiber needs. Agricultural chemicals move into and through every component of the hydrologic system, including air, soil, soil water, streams, wetlands, and groundwater.Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants
How does the water quality measure up? It all depends on what the water will be used for and what contaminants are of interest. Water-quality benchmarks are designed to protect drinking water, recreation, aquatic life, and wildlife. Here you’ll find links to some of the most widely used sets of water, sediment, and fish tissue benchmarks and general guidance about their interpretation.Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA)
The goals of the Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) are to characterize multiple water-quality factors that are stressors to aquatic life (contaminants, nutrients, sediment, and streamflow alteration) and to develop a better understanding of the relation of these stressors to ecological conditions in streams throughout the region.Phosphorus and Water
Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are essential for plant and animal growth and nourishment, but the overabundance of certain nutrients in water can cause a number of adverse health and ecological effects.Nitrogen and Water
Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are essential for plant and animal growth and nourishment, but the overabundance of certain nutrients in water can cause several adverse health and ecological effects.Biological Response to Nutrients
Eutrophication, or excess nutrients in streams, is typically one of the top reasons that a stream is listed as impaired on the 303(d) list as part of the Clean Water Act.Excess Nutrients
USGS scientists have gained a better understanding of the nutrient supply and how nutrients affect habitat quality, algal productivity, and food-web dynamics in the Bay-Delta. - Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
- Web Tools
- Software
- News
See what is newsworthy concerning water-quality in the Nation's lakes and rivers.
What's In Your Stream? Get Online to Find Out!
A new update to an online interactive tool for learning about pesticides, nutrients, and overall stream health in major regions of the U.S. is available from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Regional Stream Quality Assessment.