Water eutrophication has become a worldwide environmental problem in recent years, and
understanding the mechanisms of
water eutrophication will help for prevention and
remediation of
water eutrophication. In this
paper, recent advances in current status and major mechanisms of
water eutrophication, assessment and evaluation criteria, and the influencing factors were reviewed.
Water eutrophication in
lakes,
reservoirs,
estuaries and
rivers is widespread all over the world and the severity is increasing, especially in the
developing countries like
China. The assessment of
water eutrophication has been advanced from simple individual
parameters like total
phosphorus, total
nitrogen, etc., to comprehensive indexes like total
nutrient status index. The major influencing factors on
water eutrophication include
nutrient enrichment,
hydrodynamics, environmental factors such as
temperature,
salinity,
carbon dioxide,
element balance, etc., and microbial and
biodiversity. The occurrence of
water eutrophication is actually a complex function of all the possible influencing factors. The mechanisms of algal blooming are not fully understood and need to be further investigated.