What are Algal Blooms?
Sodus Bay in Lake Ontario, experiencing an algal bloom (Microcystis sp.) in August of 2010.
Algal blooms are the massive blooms and subsequent die offs of blue-green algae. They can occur in fresh or salt water, and can be natural or anthropogenic (caused by humans). There are two general types of algal blooms, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and nuisance algal blooms (NABs). HABs produce a toxin that kills off massive amounts of fish, aquatic organisms, and even terrestrial organisms that eat a contaminated fish or drink contaminated water. NABs are not toxic, but they do create breeding grounds for E. coli that can cause a beach to get closed to the public due to health concerns.
An algal blooms' frequency and intensity can be increased by an excess of phosphorus that humans inadvertently add to the system. We are trying to raise awareness of what YOU can do to stop contributing to causing these blooms and why it's important.
An algal blooms' frequency and intensity can be increased by an excess of phosphorus that humans inadvertently add to the system. We are trying to raise awareness of what YOU can do to stop contributing to causing these blooms and why it's important.