A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is a biological process in which certain phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, or macroalgae proliferate rapidly and reach high biomass, producing adverse ecological or health effects via toxin production, hypoxia, or habitat alteration. HABs are driven by interactions among nutrient enrichment (especially nitrogen and phosphorus), light, temperature, hydrography, and species-specific physiology, often resulting in dominance of toxin-producing taxa such as some dinoflagellates, diatoms, or cyanobacteria. These blooms can disrupt food webs, cause mass mortalities of aquatic organisms, and generate bioaccumulated toxins that affect higher trophic levels, including humans, through consumption or exposure.
Research on Southwest Florida cyanobacterial blooms shows that the toxins they produce are aerosolized and potentially inhaled by people far from contaminated water bodies.
Environment
Jul 18, 2026
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The "red tide" algal blooms that are becoming more frequent along the Pacific coast produce one of the most potent neurotoxins known: saxitoxin, or STX. The toxin accumulates in shellfish and causes paralytic shellfish poisoning ...
Ecology
Jul 16, 2026
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The marine microalgae responsible for the most devastating effects of the South Australian harmful algal bloom (HAB) has now been shown to be the most toxic species of its kind ever studied.
Ecology
Jul 6, 2026
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The summers of 2021 and 2022 were tough seasons for Colorado's Blue Mesa Reservoir. A severe drought gripped much of the western U.S., prompting emergency water releases that brought the reservoir to its lowest level since ...
Environment
Jul 6, 2026
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When bright green water appeared in the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, it drew national attention and sparked political finger-pointing. The culprit: cyanobacteria—sometimes called blue-green algae—a type ...
Environment
Jun 29, 2026
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Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) led one of the first global assessments of how marine ecosystems responded during the first year when global temperatures temporarily exceeded 1.5°C ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 26, 2026
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Over recent decades, harmful algal blooms have become increasingly common. These blooms often consist of bacteria called "cyanobacteria" in freshwater ecosystems. They can produce debilitating toxins, suffocate marine life ...
NOAA and its research partners are forecasting a moderate harmful algal bloom (HAB) in western Lake Erie this summer. This year's bloom is expected to measure 3.5 on the HAB severity index, with a potential range of 3 to ...
Environment
Jun 26, 2026
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For decades, the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin have been heavily regulated by dams and irrigation networks. As a result, the volume of water entering the ocean is about 60% smaller than 100 years ago. But nature broke ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 26, 2026
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One of the most powerful environmental cleaning technologies in recent years is too small to see with the naked eye. Nanobubbles—tiny gaseous bubbles with diameters of around 100 nanometers—can clean up a range of harmful ...
Environment
Jun 19, 2026
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