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.
Algae in the ocean can pose a significant risk to humans, marine life, and the seafood industry. Under favorable conditions for algae growth, certain algae species can multiply rapidly, a phenomenon known as algal blooms. ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 19, 2025
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South Australian beaches have been awash with foamy, discolored water and dead marine life for months. The problem hasn't gone away; it has spread.
Ecology
Jun 15, 2025
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Local beachgoers know to stay out of the water when the pea-green expanse of a harmful algal bloom settles into Maumee Bay.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 12, 2025
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Excessive nutrients in wastewater can lead to detrimental discharges into natural water bodies, prompting harmful algal blooms with severe environmental and economic repercussions. To address this pressing issue, a team of ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 11, 2025
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Seagrasses are critical to coastal ecosystems—offering habitat, stabilizing the seafloor and buffering wave energy—but globally they're increasingly under threat. Beginning in 2011, a series of intense algal blooms—fueled ...
Ecology
Jun 11, 2025
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28
Researchers studying harmful algal blooms in the St. Louis River Estuary that separates Minnesota and Wisconsin have made a breakthrough discovery: for the first time, they've linked a known cyanotoxin directly to a specific ...
Environment
Jun 6, 2025
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Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology has successfully developed a real-time, low-cost algal bloom monitoring system utilizing inexpensive optical sensors and a novel labeling logic. The system achieves ...
Environment
May 29, 2025
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31
The slimy algae topping Florida's waterways are more than just unsightly. They are often toxic to humans, animals and the environment.
Environment
May 20, 2025
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28
Coastal waters around the world are increasingly losing oxygen, with dramatic consequences for both ecosystems and the people who depend on them. The Baltic Sea is a well-known example: with the consequences of spreading ...
Earth Sciences
May 6, 2025
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33
In the warm summertime waters of Lake Erie, cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, can proliferate out of control, creating algal blooms that produce toxins at a rate that can harm wildlife and human health.
Environment
Apr 30, 2025
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