Algal blooms are rapid, transient increases in algal biomass in aquatic ecosystems, typically driven by nutrient enrichment (especially bioavailable nitrogen and phosphorus), favorable light and temperature conditions, and water column stability. They often involve phytoplankton, including cyanobacteria, diatoms, and dinoflagellates, and can reach densities that markedly alter primary production, oxygen dynamics, and food-web structure. In research, algal blooms are studied as manifestations of eutrophication, with emphasis on nutrient loading thresholds, community succession, and biogeochemical feedbacks. Harmful algal blooms (HABs), a subset, are investigated for toxin production, bloom initiation and termination mechanisms, and impacts on ecosystem services and biogeochemical cycling.
As people and their pets seek relief from the heat in lakes and ponds, a Virginia Tech veterinary expert warns of a hidden danger lurking in the water.
Veterinary medicine
Aug 25, 2025
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In the face of a devastating harmful algal bloom, scientists have hailed this year's whale season in South Australia as a beacon of light for marine ecology and conservation.
Plants & Animals
Aug 25, 2025
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25
South Australia's catastrophic harmful algal bloom now affects almost 30% of the state's coastline, stretching from the Coorong in the state's southeast to the seafood-rich Spencer Gulf to the west.
Ecology
Aug 19, 2025
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Just as the 2019–20 summer is remembered for devastating bushfires, the summer of 2024–25 is likely to be remembered for Australia-wide marine biological disruption associated with marine heat waves.
Ecology
Aug 12, 2025
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Tile drainage is a common practice used in agricultural fields to remove excess water, but it also transports harmful nutrients into water bodies, contributing to algal blooms that deprive aquatic life of oxygen. Woodchip ...
Biotechnology
Aug 11, 2025
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More beachgoers have been getting an unexpected shock this summer as jellyfish numbers bloom along the Delaware coast, interrupting—but not stopping—the summer fun.
Ecology
Aug 6, 2025
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For seaside communities reducing their pollution, nitrogen is a prime target. Often found in agricultural runoff and human waste, nitrogen and the nitrogen-containing nitrate molecule can enter coastal waters as a critical ...
Environment
Aug 4, 2025
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Algal growth is accelerating in lakes across Canada, including those far from human development, and a new study shows that climate change is the primary driver.
Earth Sciences
Jul 31, 2025
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Every year off the South Australian coast, giant Australian cuttlefish come together in huge numbers to breed. They put on a technicolor display of blue, purple, green, red and gold, changing hues as they mate and lay eggs.
Plants & Animals
Jul 30, 2025
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21
This year, Australia has experienced record-breaking floods, tropical cyclones, heat waves on land and in the ocean, drought, coral bleaching, coastal erosion and devastating algal blooms. Over the past five years, insured ...
Environment
Jul 29, 2025
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