If fertilizer washes into a pond, what is likely to happen to the algae after one month?

When fertilizer washes into a pond, it introduces an abundance of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, which are essential for plant growth. Algae are photosynthetic organisms that thrive on these nutrients. The sudden influx of fertilizer typically leads to an increase in nutrient availability, promoting rapid algal growth, often referred to as algal blooms.

Over the course of a month, the conditions created by the excess nutrients would likely support significant algae proliferation. This results in a higher concentration of algae in the water, altering the pond's ecosystem. It is important to note that this increase can disrupt the balance of the aquatic environment, leading to potential issues like decreased oxygen levels as the algae die off and decompose, but the immediate impact of nutrient enrichment is an increase in algal biomass.