ABSTRACT
Eutrophication is the process by which water bodies become more productive through increased input of inorganic nutrients. In a strict sense, the term refers to nutrients only and not necessarily to a response in production (Beeton and Edmondson, 1972). Thus, a lake could become eutrophic from increased nutrients even though productivity did not increase, as for example if algal growth were limited by light due to high suspended solids. Normally, however, increased plant productivity and biomass are considered part of the eutrophication process. Increased input of sediment can also cause eutrophication by decreasing depth, which could expand the area suitable for macrophytes, as well as encourage a more effective exchange of nutrients between sediments and water. Sediment can be allochthonous organic or inorganic and autochthonous organic.
