Question

List three ways by which nitrates are transferred from the land to water. In your own words, explain how these might impact the environment and human health.

Answer 1

The bacteria in the nitrogen cycle converts nitrogen and some get integrated with runoff and ends up in water. Also, when it rains on soil, some of the nitrates are carried into ground the ground, mixing with groundwater, ending up in lakes and etc. Sometimes we dump fertilizer into water, which contains nitrates as well and that is very harmful to aquatic organisms because the excess nitrogen absorbs the oxygen.