It was a big step in the right direction. But itâs important to remember the equally vital contributions that can be made by private citizensâwhich is to say, by you. âChange only happens when individuals take action,â Aliya Haq, deputy director of NRDCâs Clean Power Plan initiative, says.
Cultural eutrophication is the process that speeds up natural eutrophication because of human activity. Due to clearing of land and building of towns and cities, land runoff is accelerated and more nutrients such as phosphates and nitrate are supplied to lakes and rivers, and then to coastal estuaries and bays.
Natural eutrophication, where the basin gradually fills in from nutrient and sediment inputs, occurs over long time periods â on the order of centuries. Human-induced, or cultural eutrophication, occurs on a much shorter time scale (decades) as a result of human disturbance and nutrient inputs. (Image from 10.)