Algal bloom
hideAn algal bloom is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system. Algal blooms may occur in freshwater as well as marine environments. Typically, only one or a small number of phytoplankton species are involved, and some blooms may be recognized by discoloration of the water resulting from the high density of pigmented cells. Although there is no officially recognized threshold level, algae can be considered to be blooming at concentrations of hundreds to thousands of cells per milliliter, depending on the severity. Algal bloom concentrations may reach millions of cells per milliliter. Algal blooms are often green, but they can also be yellow-brown or red, depending on the species of algae.
Bright green blooms are a result of blue-green algae, which are actually bacteria (cyanobacteria). Blooms may also consist of macroalgal, not phytoplankton, species. These blooms are recognizable by large blades of algae that may wash up onto the shoreline. "Black water" is a dark discoloration of sea water, first described in the Florida Bay in January 2002.
For more information about Algal bloom, read the full article at
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News tagged with algal blooms
New research could help predict red tide
Biology /
Feb 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Not far beneath the ocean's surface, tiny phytoplankton swimming upward in a daily commute toward morning light sometimes encounter the watery equivalent of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone: a ...
Scientists Use Squid Ink to Draw its Jurassic Period Owner
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Aug 28, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (8) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists digging in Trowbridge, Wiltshire in England have uncovered the fossilized remains of a prehistoric squid-like creature that lived in the Jurassic period around 150 million years ...
Harmful 'red tide' hits Dubai beaches
Apr 07, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (3) |
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Beaches in the Gulf tourism hub of Dubai have been plagued by a bloom of algae known as the "red tide" that has killed fish and is potentially harmful to humans, a municipality official said on Tuesday.
Jurassic Park from a Swiss lake?
Mar 12, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (3) |
1
Ecological changes caused by humans affect natural biodiversity. For example, the eutrophication of Greifensee and Lake Constance in the 1970s and 1980s led to genetic changes in a species of water flea which ...
'Hot spot' for toxic harmful algal blooms discovered off Washington coast
Jan 30, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
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A part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates Washington state from Canada's British Columbia, is a potential "hot spot" for toxic harmful algal blooms affecting the Washington and British Columbia coasts.
Storm killers: Earth Scan Lab tracks cold water upwellings in Gulf
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 28, 2009 |
4 / 5 (4) |
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Complex interactions between the ocean and overlying atmosphere cause hurricanes to form, and also have a tremendous amount of influence on the path, intensity and duration of a hurricane or tropical weather event. As researchers ...
Scientists report first remote, underwater detection of harmful algae, toxins
Jul 14, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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Scientists at NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have successfully conducted the first remote detection of a harmful algal species and its toxin below ...
A thirst for blood sparks toxic algal blooms
Jun 30, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
The blooming of toxic algae that occurs during the summer conceal a fight for life and death. Scientists at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, propose in an article published in the journal PNAS that a ...
Research finds mangroves being fed to death
May 19, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- New UQ Science research has found the increase in nutrients coming out of our river systems is putting pressure on our mangrove forests and making them far more susceptible to environmental ...
Australian oil spill '10 times worse' than thought
Mar 14, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
2
An oil spill polluting popular tourist beaches on Australia's northeast coast is 10 times worse than originally reported, according to the state government.
Nutrient Pollution Chokes Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
Biology /
Feb 19, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Protecting drinking water and preventing harmful coastal "dead zones", as well as eutrophication in many lakes, will require reducing both nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Because streams and rivers are ...
DNA tests could help predict, prevent harmful algal blooms
Biology /
Sep 30, 2008 |
4 / 5 (3) |
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A paper published in the current issue of the International Journal of Environment and Pollution, explains how a DNA test can be used to detect harmful algal blooms across the globe. The approach outlined could help reduce ...
Eutrophication affects diversity of algae
Oct 19, 2009 |
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Eutrophication of the seas may have an impact on genetic variation in algae, research at the University of Gothenburg shows.
NOAA announces an experimental harmful algal bloom forecast bulletin for Lake Erie
Sep 17, 2009 |
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Predicting harmful algal blooms, or HABs, in the Great Lakes is now a reality as NOAA announces an experimental HAB forecast system in Lake Erie. HABs produce toxins that may pose a significant risk to human and animal health ...
New research to unravel how nutrients drive toxic 'brown tides' on East Coast
Sep 17, 2009 |
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NOAA has awarded Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution $120,000 as part of an anticipated three-year, nearly $500,000 project, to determine how nitrogen and phosphorus promote brown tides on the East Coast. ...
