Measuring chlorophyll A tells us how much algae is in the water. If the water is high in nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus, algae can grow out of control. This is called "eutrophication" and is what happened in Lake Wilson in 2003. Excessive plant growth decreases the amount of oxygen available to other aquatic organisms, and reduces the transparency of the water - preventing sunlight from getting to other aquatic plants.
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Water Quality
Chlorophyll A
A green pigment found in photo synthetic organisms. It plays a key role in the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, which convert sunlight into usable chemical energy. By measuring the abundance of chlorophyll A, scientists can use it as an indicator of the amount of algae present in a water body (ref).