Harmful Algal Blooms a concern for the North American Great Lakes<\/h2>\n
Newspaper reports described Lake Erie as “Dead” in the 1960s, because authorities frequently banned recreational use of the Great Lakes.2<\/span>\u00a0 Contamination, trash, and an over colonization of Cyanobacteria or what is commonly called blue-green algae pushed the entire aquatic ecosystem into decline.3<\/span> Periodically, Cyanobacteria algae populations exploded to form Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)<\/a>, which hurt drinking water supplies, recreational activity, freshwater ecosystems, and the regional economies.4<\/span> Unfortunately, the incidence of HABs in our Great Lakes and the dangers attributed to them have only increased over time.<\/p>\n Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan have become more common in the past 20 years.3<\/span> These include a HAB found in Lake Erie, which left over 400,000 Ohio residents without clean drinking water for several days in 2014.4<\/span>\u00a0This resulted in a $3 million campaign to clean the water.4<\/span><\/p>\n Blue-green algae blooms are considered Harmful Algal Blooms.\u00a0 Blooms are large colonies of algae that become visible without a microscope.3<\/span> Blue-green algae colonize rapidly and can produce toxins that can harm humans and animals.4<\/span> Their toxins can affect cells, liver, and nervous systems.3<\/span> Exposure to large amounts of this algae can result in reactions ranging from mild to severe outcomes. These include3<\/span>:<\/p>\n Following spring rains, which carry nutrients to the lakes, Harmful Algal Blooms occur in the Great Lakes in late summer.6<\/span> Lake Erie is especially prone to HABs because of its shallow warm waters.3<\/span><\/p>\n HABs may have a foul smell and appear in a variety of blue, red, green, and neon colors.8<\/span> They present as foam on top of the water or as patches of color floating in the lake.3<\/span> However, HABs may be present without visual indicators. Yet they still pose a risk.3<\/span> For example, microcysts are one of the most widely reported and the most dominant algae found in the North American Great Lakes.3<\/span> This form creates a harmful irritant and liver toxin called microcystin.3<\/span><\/p>\n Some algal blooms occur naturally in both freshwater and saltwater.7<\/span> However, HABs develop exceptionally well in water with high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.8<\/span> The term eutrophication is used to describe the excess nourishment in the body of water that allows the algae to feed and grow exceptionally fast.8<\/span> As humans, we add these nutrients to the Great Lakes through urban, industrial, and agricultural activities.8<\/span> Common pathways include:<\/p>\n The surplus of nitrogen and phosphorus, combined with increasing water temperatures, creates hospitable conditions for blooms.5<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, scientists cite zebra mussels and other invasive species that feed on beneficial algae and expel harmful algae as a cause for the increased HABs in the Great Lakes.3<\/span>\u00a0Unfortunately, scientists have struggled to define consistent measures and methods that explain the causes and impacts of HABs, which leads to some ambiguity in the data they collect.6<\/span> Furthermore, various methods to improve crop production, including “environmentally friendly” techniques such as “no-till” farming, can still result in increased nutrient runoff. As with traditional methods, these can lead to higher levels of eutrophication.6<\/span> Even after the source of pollution is removed, some pollution pathways can exist for more than ten years.4<\/span><\/p>\n Yes, industry and agriculture contribute a lot to harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. 3,5,8<\/span>\u00a0Yet scientists are working to explore viable ways to predict and to monitor HABs more reliably.6<\/span> They hope to provide more in-depth insight into the causes and consequences of HABs.6<\/span>\u00a0 However, there are several steps we can take as individuals to reduce HABs. These include:<\/p>\n The North American Great Lakes make up over 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater. It is a vital natural resource that is surrounded by 30,000 million people.1<\/span> Working together, we can find ways to understand our impact on these precious ecosystems better and develop strategies to protect them for ourselves and future generations.<\/p>\n By Harry Petaway, Staff Writer and Researcher for Save the Water\u2122 | December 1, 2019 Harmful Algal…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12812,"featured_media":114052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,65],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[1150,1872,1890,1888,1880,1891,1873,1898,1896,1882,1871,1869,1870,1889,1887,1878,1879,1897,1895,1874],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12812"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110956"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114054,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110956\/revisions\/114054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110956"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=110956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What are Harmful Algae Blooms?<\/h2>\n
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How can I tell if it is a Harmful Algal Bloom?<\/h2>\n
Harmful Algal Blooms a threat to the Great Lakes: What is the cause?<\/h2>\n
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Harmful Algal Blooms a threat to the Great Lakes: What can you do?<\/h2>\n
![\"Great](\"http:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/BI-Harbor-Sunset_Petaway-1024x577.png\")
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References<\/h2>\n
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