What type of pollution is caused by a large farm contaminating a stream with fertilizer runoff?

Prepare for the Earth Science and Environmental Pollution Test. Study with engaging quizzes and detailed explanations on complex topics. Master your exam preparation here!

The scenario tests how nutrients from farm runoff enter a stream as diffuse, nonpoint-source pollution. Because fertilizer is spread across a large area and water moves over the fields during rain, nutrients are carried into the stream from many places rather than a single discharge point. This makes the pollution nonpoint-source in origin. The added nutrients—mainly nitrogen and phosphorus—are a nutrient pollution problem that can drive eutrophication, fueling algal blooms and depleting oxygen in the water.

This differs from point-source pollution, which would come from a single identifiable outlet like a pipe or drain; atmospheric deposition involves pollutants delivered from the air to land or water; and industrial pollution refers to contaminants released from specific industrial facilities. So the correct way to describe the farm runoff scenario is nonpoint-source nutrient pollution.