Which term describes the loss of topsoil affecting water quality?

Which term describes the loss of topsoil affecting water quality?

• A. Groundwater Pollution
• B. Soil Erosion
• C. Algal Blooms
• D. Dissolved Oxygen Levels

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how removing the top layer of soil affects water quality. When the topsoil is lost through erosion, wind or water can transport that soil into nearby streams, rivers, and lakes. The resulting sedimentation clouds the water (increased turbidity) and physically harms aquatic life. The soil particles often carry nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, as well as pesticides, which can promote algal blooms and raise microbial activity that consumes oxygen. This chain—soil loss leading to sediment and nutrient runoff—drives water quality degradation. That’s why soil erosion is the best description. Groundwater pollution involves contaminants in groundwater, algal blooms are a result of nutrient loading rather than the loss of soil itself, and dissolved oxygen levels are a measure of water quality influenced by many factors, not the process of soil loss.

The main idea here is how removing the top layer of soil affects water quality. When the topsoil is lost through erosion, wind or water can transport that soil into nearby streams, rivers, and lakes. The resulting sedimentation clouds the water (increased turbidity) and physically harms aquatic life. The soil particles often carry nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, as well as pesticides, which can promote algal blooms and raise microbial activity that consumes oxygen. This chain—soil loss leading to sediment and nutrient runoff—drives water quality degradation. That’s why soil erosion is the best description. Groundwater pollution involves contaminants in groundwater, algal blooms are a result of nutrient loading rather than the loss of soil itself, and dissolved oxygen levels are a measure of water quality influenced by many factors, not the process of soil loss.