What can be an effect of increased pollutants resulting from land use changes?

Increased pollutants resulting from land use changes can lead to negative impacts on water quality. As urban areas expand or as agricultural practices intensify, various pollutants, including sediment, nutrients, heavy metals, and chemical runoff, enter water bodies. This influx can degrade water quality in several ways. For instance, excess nutrients can cause algal blooms, which consume oxygen and harm aquatic life, leading to further deterioration of the ecosystem. Pollutants can also make the water unsafe for recreational use and hinder the ability of organisms to thrive, ultimately affecting the overall health of the environment.

The other choices reflect conditions that are typically not associated with increased pollutants. Improved water clarity and enhanced aquatic habitat are unlikely outcomes of pollution; instead, pollutants typically reduce clarity and harm habitats. Similarly, while land use changes may alter erosion patterns, an increase in pollutants itself does not lead to a reduction in erosion; in fact, it often leads to increased sedimentation and related problems. This context clarifies why the negative impacts on water quality are indeed the correct interpretation of the effects arising from land use changes and associated pollutant increases.