Which term describes the nutrient-driven algae blooms in aquatic ecosystems?

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Nutritient-driven algae blooms in aquatic systems are described by eutrophication. When nitrogen and phosphorus enter water bodies in excess—from fertilizer runoff, wastewater, or urban sources—they fuel rapid growth of algae and other aquatic plants. This surge can shade out submerged vegetation and, as the blooms die and decompose, oxygen gets used up, leading to hypoxic conditions and sometimes dead zones. The other terms don’t capture this specific process: the biosphere is all living components of Earth, matter is all physical material, and the hydrosphere is all Earth's water. Eutrophication specifically names the nutrient enrichment that drives these blooms and the ecological changes that follow.