Natural eutrophication is the process where nutrient poor lakes receive nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) and sediment from the surrounding watershed and become more nutrient-rich and shallow over a time span of hundreds to thousands of years. Due to human activities this process has been sped-up to a time span of decades in many places
Eutrophication is the process in which lakes receive nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) and sediment from the surrounding watershed and become more fertile and shallow. The additional nutrients are food for algae and fish, so the more eutrophic a lake is, the more living organisms it sustains. When a lake becomes shallower from added sediment, even more plants can grow because the littoral area (the area of the lake that is shallow enough for light to reach the bottom) increases in overall percentage. Eutrophication is a natural process that a lake goes through over hundreds to thousands of years. Natural eutrophication is also sometimes referred to as lake aging.