Lake Erie’s Record-Breaking Algae Bloom May Become the Norm

[UnrepentantLiberal]

In 2011, Lake Erie experienced the largest algae bloom in its recorded history. At its peak in October, the mat of green scum on the lake’s surface was nearly four inches thick and covered an area of almost 2,000 square miles. That’s three times larger than any other bloom in the lake, ever. Plus it was toxic. Now research shows that such an event may become increasingly common.

Algae blooms result from an excess of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in the water, which throw aquatic ecosystems out of whack. The algae feed off the nutrients and grow so thick that they block sunlight, preventing other plants from photosynthesizing. And as the algae die, bacteria consume copious amounts of oxygen to decompose them, killing fish and other animals in the process. When the nutrient-loading gets really bad, it can sometimes lead to hypoxic, low-oxygen conditions, resulting in ecological dead zones like the one in the Gulf of Mexico.

To make matters worse, certain strains of blue-green algae are toxic, which makes these blooms dangerous to more than just lake-dwelling life. In the case of the 2011 bloom in Lake Erie, the researchers determined that blue-green algae accounted for the majority of the bloom, and concentrations of the toxic stuff reached 4,500 ?g/L, which is 225 times greater than the maximum that the World Health Organization recommends for water used for swimming and boating.

One of the major source of nutrient loading in lakes is agricultural runoff from within a lake’s watershed—the area of land which drains to the lake. After nutrient loading in Lake Erie and the rest of the Great Lakes got really bad in the 60s and 70s, the U.S. and Canadian governments implemented the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to reduce nutrient loading to these iconic bodies of freshwater. For the next few decades, the agreement showed promising results, but in the 90s the nutrient concentrations began to creep back up.

More: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/04/01/lake-eries-record-breaking-algae-bloom-may-become-the-norm/#.UVrWz-XCu7o

[The Straight Story]

1. Ya know

This is the kind of thing it would be nice to have the big news outlets spend a lot of time on.

Instead of some trial or hours of coverage about celebrities. Not just a blurb and move on, but keep it in the news, follow it, etc.

Alas real news often sinks on cable...and elsewhere.

[malaise]

5. Saw a great documentary on PBS in February about Cuba

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/video/cuba-the-accidental-eden-video-full-episode/5834/
<snip>
Cuba may have been restricted politically and economically for the past 50 years, but its borders have remained open to wildlife for which Cuba’s undeveloped islands are an irresistible draw. While many islands in the Caribbean have poisoned or paved over their ecological riches on land and in the sea in pursuit of a growing tourist industry, Cuba’s wild landscapes have remained virtually untouched, creating a safe haven for rare and intriguing indigenous animals, as well as for hundreds of species of migrating birds and marine creatures. Coral reefs have benefited, too. Independent research has shown that Cuba’s corals are doing much better than others both in the Caribbean and around the world.

[peace13]

2. A problem whose source is know and politicians refuse to address.

I live in Ohio and sail on Lake Erie. The stench at bloom is overwhelming. The water is as thick as paint. It will kill those with compromised immune systems. One of the worlds biggest fresh water reserves is being killed...again!

[Botany]

4. What and give up our "perfect lawns?"

Some very simple agricultural and horticultural practices could get way down on
the algal bloom/hypoxic problems.

[EC]

3. Okay,

with the work being done making fuel from algae...can't they use this and clean it up at the same time?

[TheMightyFavog]

6. Wrong kind of algae perhaps?