And Bad For Marine Environment Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for a healthy marine environment. However an overabundance of nutrients can literally be too much of a good thing.
Excessive nutrients can trigger excessive algae growth, or eutrophication.
The result is reduced sunlight penetration, reducing vegetation, reduction of bottom-dwelling animal habitat, and an increase in oxygen consumption. Nutrient run-off from farmland and urban landscaping is a major cause of this pollution problem. We are still far from understanding all the consequences of that coloring, but it signals a major change in an important part of the ocean. As the human population continues to expand, the environmental costs of feeding people and processing their wastes will continue to grow. D'Elia is one of the scientists credited with discovering the importance of nitrogen as a nutrient pollutant.