Leaving (Algal) Toxicity Behind
In the last few years, there has been a rise in the amount of algal blooms around the United States. These blooms can be a result of excess amounts of nutrients from farm runoff being introduced into waterways. When conditions such as warming water temperatures and access to food are just right, the harmful blue-green algae grows into massive blankets that float near water’s surface.
Image Credit: Aerial Associates Photography, Inc., by Zachary Haslick
Algal blooms are severely damaging to both terrestrial and aquatic environments. In this infographic, you can see how dangerous these blooms are and that they ultimately lead to dead zones, or areas in which there’s not enough oxygen in the water to support life. These dead zones occur because algae blocks sunlight from reaching plants at the bottom of the body of water, and this doesn’t allow the plants to go through photosynthesis, the process that converts carbon dioxide into oxygen. The lack of oxygen leads to organisms either dying or leaving the area in search of more a more suitable habitat, and this leads the area under the algal bloom to become a barren wasteland where few organisms, if any, can live.
“[Harmful algal blooms] cause about $82 million in economic losses to the seafood, restaurant, and tourism industries each year.”
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Image Credit: Paul Kim
These effects can reach us, as well. CBS reported that toxins that these algal blooms release can be linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s and ALS. The toxins can also cause less serious issues such as “skin rashes, liver and kidney toxicity, nervous system problems, respiratory complications” (Solitude Lake Management) in humans and animals
Luckily, though, in the past year there has been more more effort being put into removing harmful algal blooms. In the last week, a Dane County of Wisconsin began testing a vacuum and filtration mechanism that will suck up water that contains excessive amounts of algae, filter it out, and then return the clean water to its original place. NPR also highlighted a way of pulling blooms to the very top of water and then skimming off of the surface in their article which you can find here.
Along with this, there are local ways you can help combat algal blooms and animal displacement. In ponds or lakes around you, a push for regular water quality testing, aeration, and the addition of natural vegetation buffers can greatly reduce the amount of disruptive algae found in your water.
For additional info on this topic, you can read a previous article of ours, “The Blob” to learn more about some of climate change’s effects on marine ecosystems.
