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.
In a significant step toward dealing with the persistent harmful algal bloom affecting the South Australian coast, researchers have identified the species chiefly responsible for mass deaths of marine animals and potential ...
Ecology
Nov 13, 2025
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A long-term analysis shows that a major Oregon reservoir abruptly swapped one type of toxic algae for another midway through the 12-year study period, absent any obvious cause. The project provides a novel look at harmful ...
Ecology
Nov 11, 2025
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Beneath the surface of lakes and coastal waters lies a hidden world of sediment that plays a crucial role in the health of aquatic ecosystems. "Benthic fluxes" of nitrogen and phosphorus, such as releases of these dissolved ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 5, 2025
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In the summer of 2022, toxins produced by the brackish-water algae Prymnesium parvum killed about 1,000 metric tons of fish, snails, and mussels in the River Oder. In a study published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 2, 2025
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19
For the third year running toxic blue-green algae blooms that look like pea soup and smell like rotten eggs have covered much of Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the UK and Ireland.
Environment
Sep 14, 2025
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279
Amid toxic algal blooms in South Australia and mass fish deaths across the country, a new piece of technology designed by one of Perth's leading marine scientists may hold a solution.
Ecology
Sep 8, 2025
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For the last several months, Southern California has grappled with a bloom of harmful algae that produce domoic acid, killing or intoxicating thousands of marine animals. But this region isn't unique. Problematic outbreaks ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2025
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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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