Phosphorus

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-020900",
  "term": "Phosphorus",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definitions": [
    "1. A type of nutrient contributing to the Bay's poor water quality. While phosphorus is vital to plant life, human activities--like applying fertilizers or using household cleaners--contribute more phosphorus than the Bay's waters can handle. Elevated phosphorus levels cause more algae to grow, blocking out sunlight and reducing oxygen for fish, crabs and other Bay life.\n\n2. An essential chemical food element that can contribute to the eutrophication of lakes and other water bodies. Increased phosphorus levels result from discharge of phosphorus-containing materials into surface waters.\n\n3. Type of nutrient contributing to the Bay's poor water quality. While phosphorus is vital to plant life, human activities--like applying fertilizers or using household cleaners--contribute more phosphorus than the Bay's waters can handle. Elevated phosphorus levels cause more algae to grow, blocking out sunlight and reducing oxygen for fish, crabs and other Bay life.\n\n4. An element occurring in manure and chemical fertilizer that is essential to the growth and development of plants, but which, in excess, can cause water to become polluted and threaten aquatic animals.",
    "(pollutant category) Pollutant grouping that includes phosphorus and phosphate pollutant parameters.",
    "(pollutant category) All phosphorus and phosphate pollutant parameters. Section 3.1.3 of the Technical Users Background Document for the Water Pollutant Loading Tool. describes how the Loading Tool identifies phosphorus parameters and aggregates phosphorus loads. Search Considerations: The Loading Tool selects pollutant loadings for the Phosphorus category if the loadings are associated with parameter codes in ICIS-NPDES that are on the phosphorus list. This list is available in the Technical Users Background Document for the Water Pollutant Loading Tool. These data are from ICIS-NPDES."
  ],
  "abbreviation": "P",
  "subject": [
    "Water",
    "Enforcement and compliance"
  ],
  "references": [
    "Chesapeake Bay Glossary",
    "Terms of Environment; Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable Glossary",
    "Nonpoint Pollution Source from Agriculture Glossary",
    "Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) Glossary",
    "Glossary of Frequent Terms in the Loading Tool"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/phosphorus/"
}