#harmfulalgaeblooms — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #harmfulalgaeblooms, aggregated by home.social.
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We need your help keeping an eye out for #algae blooms in the Bay 🦠
As the weather heats up, conditions will be ripe for harmful algae blooms (HABs). After a devastating #HAB in 2022, we ramped up our algae monitoring program and now have a team algae sampling across the Bay Area through the summer.
But we could always use more eyes on the Bay 👀 If you see coffee-colored water or unusually red or bright green water in the Bay, take photos, note down the time & exact location, and reach out to our pollution tip line: https://baykeeper.org/report-pollution/
Photos: First two photos are of brown-colored water during a small algae bloom in #Alameda in 2024 that luckily dissipated quickly. The third photo is a close-up image of the alga Akashiwo sanguinea 🔬 and the last image is of our team collecting samples from the Bay #algaebloom #harmfulalgaeblooms #sanfraniscobay #bayarea #sfbay #waterpollution
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Here are just a few of the gorgeous illustrations from our new annual report! https://baykeeper.org/current-annual-report/
Our special anniversary report covers all the essential areas of Baykeeper's work—from #stormwater sampling, to #sealevelrise planning, to stopping sewage #pollution, investigating harmful algae blooms, protecting river flows & so much more.
Deep thanks to Fiorella Ikeue for the beautiful artwork 🙏
#cawater #californiawater #harmfulalgaeblooms #HABs #baykeeper
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It seems I was right about #GambierdiscusToxicus being the cause of #sawfish deaths in #Florida. Not sure why they aren't announcing it (tourism?).
Scientists continue to search for answers as #Florida sawfish continue to die
By Heather Walker, Diana Reed
July 12, 2024"The FGCU scientists said that once again, their samples showed high levels of a microscopic algae called Gambierdiscus. It is a naturally occurring toxin that is normally harmless but can be dangerous at high levels."
#HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
#Florida #Extinction
#ToxicAlgae
#Fish #ClimateChange -
We recently launched a new community science program to monitor #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms in #SFBay in collaboration with our partners at NOAA, USGS & the SF Estuary Institute!
We're training community volunteers to detect the spread of harmful #algae in the Bay earlier and more precisely. It's part of Baykeeper’s long-term strategy to reduce #RedTides in the Bay.
Learn more: https://baykeeper.org/enews/enewsletter-for-june-2024/
Photos: Robb Most
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As we head into the summer--when conditions for red tides & other #harmfulalgaeblooms are ripe--help us put pressure on the Water Board to prevent toxic algae in the Bay!
The Board will be making an important decision on this issue in early July. We need your voice! https://baykeeper.org/act-now-dont-let-algae-blooms-become-our-new-normal/ #HABs #redtide #sfbay #sanfranciscobay #bayarea
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And yeah... Even #Maine isn't immune.
Increasingly early ice-outs on Maine waters open up new environmental problems, experts say
As Maine wraps up one of its warmest winters in recorded history, lakes and ponds across the state are seeing ice-outs earlier than ever. Experts say that's affecting everything from #algae to moose.
by Dylan Tusinski
March 15, 2024"Earlier ice-outs have severe impacts on everything from algae blooms and trout populations to moose calves and snowmobilers, according to Mark Latti, communications director for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
"One of the most serious symptoms of early ice-outs is the increased frequency and intensity of algae blooms in recent years, according to Whitney King, an environmental chemist and professor at Colby College in Waterville.
"Blooms in recent years have been more severe and widespread, King said. Though algae blooms are a natural occurrence in the spring and summer, they can be toxic for humans and animals, damaging to natural ecosystems, and near-impossible to get rid of.
"Algae blooms’ size and toxicity are often worsened by bright sunlight, warm waters and intense storms, King said. This means that earlier ice-outs are causing earlier and more severe algae blooms, he said.
"'Across the state, we’re seeing an interesting ecological feedback cycle where the physics of the climate control when the open water period starts and ends,' he said. 'If you have shorter ice-in periods, you have longer open water periods, and these longer open water periods are allowing increased growth rates in our lakes — more plankton and less oxygen."'Basically, our lakes have a longer growing season and that is not always an ecologically good thing.'"
#Maine #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Extinction #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures
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Why isn't this sounding alarms?!! This is happening globally!
Harmful #algae detected in #OaklandCalifornia's #LakeMerritt could be 'an ominous sign for the Bay'
"Earlier this month, signs posted around Oakland’s Lake Merritt made some joggers stop in their tracks. 'Avoid water contact,' they cautioned in bold letters. 'Harmful algae may be present.'
"The warnings came after a mysterious red substance emerged in the water between the Lake Merritt Sailboat House and the Rotary Nature Center on March 7, as the Oaklandside first reported. Subsequent lab testing by the California Department of Public Health and #SanFranciscoBay Regional Water Quality Control Board last week confirmed the presence of Heterosigma akashiwo in the water — the same species of harmful algae responsible for the Bay Area-wide red tides and mass #FishKills reported in 2022 and 2023.
"But Eileen White, executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, told SFGATE on Tuesday that the current bloom has not reached those levels. 'The good news right now is the lake is looking good, and the red tide we originally observed has dissipated,' she said.
"White added that she runs around the lake just about every day, but did not observe any dead fish in the weeks since the algae was detected. The water has also returned to its usual color, she said.
"'But we’re still trying to understand what caused it. It was a little surprising, because we’ve had so much rain, and we typically associate these harmful blooms with warmer temperatures and less wind activity,' White said.
"'H. akashiwo has been documented across the world, but is most commonly found west of North America in #Japan, #NewZealand and #BritishColumbia, Canada. The species was first observed blooming in the central part of San Francisco Bay in July 2002, and was also spotted near Sausalito in 2004, depleting oxygen levels in the water and causing fish to asphyxiate en masse."
#California #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Extinction #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures #ExtinctionLevelEvent #HAkashiwo #HeterosigmaAkashiwo
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#GoldenAlgae toxin blooms to blame for fish kills at #Saguaro, #CanyonLakes
BY DAMON ALLRED
Mar 17, 2024PHOENIX — "Golden algae toxin blooms are behind recent #FishKills at Saguaro and Canyon lakes, the Arizona Game and Fish Department confirmed Friday.
"Golden algae, which can be harmful to gill-breathing animals such as fish, has affected Salt River chain lakes — Saguaro, Canyon and Apache — since 2003, the AZGFD said in a press release.
"Over the years, humans and other non-gill-breathing wildlife have not displayed negative health impacts after coming into contact with a golden algae toxin bloom.
"Hundreds of fish — mostly of the threadfin shad species — were observed to be dead or dying. Other species such as largemouth bass, bluegill and catfish were also affected."
#Arizona #HABs
#HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Extinction #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures -
And the #SaintLucie #NuclearPlant happens to be nearby! Hmmmm...
#ToxicAlgae in St. Lucie river and canal are in dangerous concentrations, DEP confirms
"Algae in the St. Lucie canal and river is toxic in concentrations that are dangerous for people, pets and wildlife to touch, ingest or inhale, but the Army Corps of Engineers has not said it will stop Lake Okeechobee discharges."
#ToxicAlgae #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Florida #Extinction #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures
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Lough Neagh: Toxic algae potentially waking again
Louise Cullen - BBC NI agriculture and environment correspondent
March 7, 2024
"Toxic blue-green #algae in #LoughNeagh has potentially begun to wake up again already, with two confirmed reports since the start of 2024.
"Last summer, it brought the largest freshwater lake in these islands to the headlines.
"The algae also brought misery to those who live and work around and on the lough."
Read more:
https://www.aol.com/news/lough-neagh-fish-declared-safe-072656521.html#Ireland #ToxicAlgae #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Extinction #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife
#WaterTemperatures #NorthernIreland #UK -
I'm seeing a pattern here...
"'On March 14, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources responded to a fish die off on Traverse Lake in southwest #Minnesota near the city of Wheaton. DNR staff collected fish samples and checked dissolved oxygen in the water. The cause of the die off appears to be gas supersaturation trauma, also known as gas bubble disease, likely the result of an #AlgaeBloom in the lake,' a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources told Newsweek in an email."
Thousands of Fish Found Dead as Ice Melts on Minnesota Border Lake
Published Mar 20, 2024
"Thousands of dead fish have been found in a Minnesota lake at the same time all its ice has melted.
"An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 fish were found dead in Lake Traverse, which lies along the border with #SouthDakota, on March 14, the West Central Tribune reported. They included freshwater drum, crappies, bluegills, white bass and bluegills. There was also a handful of smallmouth bass and walleye."
Read more:
https://www.newsweek.com/thousands-fish-dead-ice-melts-lake-1881449#HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Extinction #ToxicAlgae #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures
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Thousands of #eels die mysteriously in #NewZealand
Story by Vishwam Sankaran
April 1, 2024"'We noticed some #algae build-up, which generally is due to the stream water warming up,' said Hona Edwards, a member of a local guardian group that monitors the stream.
"'Then the biggest percentage of the stream was observed to range from very limited to no water flow. When there’s no flow, the dissolved oxygen reduces, and the toxins build up in the waterway,' he said.
"Such algal blooms occur when conditions such as warm water temperatures and low water volumes are coupled with nutrient flows from agricultural use and toxic #pollutants from human activities.
"While mass deaths of freshwater fish are known to occasionally take place across the world, a study of lakes in #Minnesota and #Wisconsin in the United States found that such incidents have increased globally in the past decade."
Source:
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/thousands-of-eels-die-mysteriously-in-new-zealand/ar-BB1kRSEo#HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Extinction #ToxicAlgae #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WarmingOceans #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures
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Don't count on #nuclear plants to solve #ClimateChange. Hot water discharged from #NuclearPlants cause harmless algae to turn into #ToxicAlgae as well as increase their numbers: "Corals are particularly affected as they can shift the dominance of their symbiotic #algae to more stress-resistant types in [nuclear plant] discharge areas"
Meta-analysis of the thermal pollution caused by coastal nuclear power plants and its effects on marine #biodiversity
Louiza Soares Ferreira Guimaraes, et al.
October, 2023
Abstract:
"The rise in seawater temperature due to industrial activities is one of the main threats to marine biodiversity. In nuclear power plants, large volumes of water are used for their operation, returning to the #ecosystem at higher temperatures. A global meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the thermal effects caused by coastal #NuclearPowerPlants on marine organisms. We found 853 articles of which, 99 were included in the qualitative analysis and 75 in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed an increase of 4.38 °C in water temperature near the outfall, and the temperature variation of each study was found to be associated with the power plant latitudes. The main effects on organisms were related to changes in the structure and composition of aquatic communities, with species abundance, distribution, dominance, and density being the most cited ones. Among the affected groups, photosynthesizing microorganisms were the most cited, potentially contributing to shifts in ecosystem dynamics."
Highlights
• Thermal discharges of nuclear plants caused an increase of 4.38 °C in nearby seawater.
• The temperature difference between sites was correlated with power plant latitudes.
• 38 studies linked temperature as the main factor affecting marine organisms.
• Shifts were noted especially in species abundance (14.65 %) and distribution (13.79 %).
• Among the affected organisms, photosynthesizing microorganisms were the most cited.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X2300886X
#NoNukes #RenewablesNow #RethinkNotRestart #ClimateCrisis #WarmingOceans #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
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Harmful algal blooms and climate change: Learning from the past and present to forecast the future
Mark L. Wells, et al.
Sept 22, 2015Abstract:
"Climate change pressures will influence marine planktonic systems globally, and it is conceivable that harmful algal blooms may increase in frequency and severity. These pressures will be manifest as alterations in temperature, stratification, light, ocean acidification, precipitation-induced nutrient inputs, and grazing, but absence of fundamental knowledge of the mechanisms driving harmful algal blooms frustrates most hope of forecasting their future prevalence. Summarized here is the consensus of a recent workshop held to address what currently is known and not known about the environmental conditions that favor initiation and maintenance of harmful algal blooms. There is expectation that harmful algal bloom (HAB) geographical domains should expand in some cases, as will seasonal windows of opportunity for harmful algal blooms at higher latitudes. Nonetheless there is only basic information to speculate upon which regions or habitats HAB species may be the most resilient or susceptible. Moreover, current research strategies are not well suited to inform these fundamental linkages. There is a critical absence of tenable hypotheses for how climate pressures mechanistically affect HAB species, and the lack of uniform experimental protocols limits the quantitative cross-investigation comparisons essential to advancement. A HAB “best practices” manual would help foster more uniform research strategies and protocols, and selection of a small target list of model HAB species or isolates for study would greatly promote the accumulation of knowledge. Despite the need to focus on keystone species, more studies need to address strain variability within species, their responses under multifactorial conditions, and the retrospective analyses of long-term plankton and cyst core data; research topics that are departures from the norm. Examples of some fundamental unknowns include how larger and more frequent extreme weather events may break down natural biogeographic barriers, how stratification may enhance or diminish HAB events, how trace nutrients (metals, vitamins) influence cell toxicity, and how grazing pressures may leverage, or mitigate HAB development. There is an absence of high quality time-series data in most regions currently experiencing HAB outbreaks, and little if any data from regions expected to develop HAB events in the future. A subset of observer sites is recommended to help develop stronger linkages among global, national, and regional climate change and HAB observation programs, providing fundamental datasets for investigating global changes in the prevalence of harmful algal blooms. Forecasting changes in HAB patterns over the next few decades will depend critically upon considering harmful algal blooms within the competitive context of plankton communities, and linking these insights to ecosystem, oceanographic and climate models. From a broader perspective, the nexus of HAB science and the social sciences of harmful algal blooms is inadequate and prevents quantitative assessment of impacts of future HAB changes on human well-being. These and other fundamental changes in HAB research will be necessary if HAB science is to obtain compelling evidence that climate change has caused alterations in HAB distributions, prevalence or character, and to develop the theoretical, experimental, and empirical evidence explaining the mechanisms underpinning these ecological shifts."Mention of Gembierdiscus:
"#Gambierdiscus toxicus is known to generally favor warmer conditions, and increased ciguatera fish poisoning has been observed with elevated sea surface temperatures related to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) (Rongo and van Woesik, 2011). But this linkage is correlative, rather than determined, and temperature optima differ substantially among different Gambierdiscus species or phylotypes (Yoshimatsu et al., 2014). The cell-size dependent population response to warming also differs among phytoplankton groups. Specifically, picophytoplankton biomass appears to increase with temperature, unlike non-cyanobacterial communities which tend to respond in the opposite (Karlberg and Wulff, 2013; Morán et al., 2010). Despite this, unusual blooms of both may be linked to climatic events (Gómez and Souissi, 2007)."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4800334/
#HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #GambierdiscusToxicus #Florida #Extinction #ToxicAlgae #Fish #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WarmingOceans #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures
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Fish are dying in the #FloridaKeys. Scientists are getting closer to finding out why
By Heather Walker
March 12, 2024"The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission says 27 species are now affected, primarily in the lower keys from #BigPine to #KeyWest, including the critically #endangered smalltooth #sawfish. Many have grounded themselves. As of last week, 20 have died."
#HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Gambierdiscus #Florida #Extinction #ToxicAlgae
#Fish #Florida #ClimateChange
#ClimateCrisis #WarmingOceans
#WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures -
So, when I saw this on the news today, the first thing I thought of was #HABs (#HarmfulAlgaeBlooms). Seems that might be the culprit. Not good...
In Florida Keys, researchers investigate fish 'spinning and whirling' before dying
March 29, 2024
by Ehren Wynder
"A likely suspect is a naturally occurring toxin produced by an algae called #Gambierdiscus. Researchers detected elevated levels of it in areas with affected fish, as well as in the gut contents of some affected fish."The toxin is commonly found to accumulate on fish in #CoralReefs where the algae is found, It is not typically dangerous to the fish, but can be dangerous and even lethal to humans.
"Parsons said its presence was 'anywhere from five times higher to about 30 times above averages we've seen over the past 10 years.'
"'The maximum numbers we saw were below 10,000 cells per liter of water,' he said. 'That (number) is a lot for Gambierdiscus, but it's not a lot in terms of our typical blooming species. So that's one reason why Gambierdiscus was kind of under the radar here.'
"The link between Gambierdiscus and the spinning fish has not yet been proven, but scientists are chasing it as their strongest lead.
"The BTT and FWC recommend people avoid eating fish harvested from areas where affected fish have been observed and to avoid swimming in areas with dead and symptomatic fish."
#Extinction #ToxicAlgae #Fish #Florida #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WarmingOceans #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures
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2023 has been a whirlwind for Baykeeper—we responded to (another) harmful algae bloom, negotiated a cleanup of heavy metals in the shore, took legal action against four industrial facilities, and much more.
Read more about our wins over the past year in our new annual report: https://baykeeper.org/annualreport2023
#sfbay #sanfranciscobay #cawater #californiawater #waterpollution #baykeeper #harmfulalgaeblooms
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The Bay has experienced harmful algae blooms 2 years in a row ☹️
📢 We need your help to prevent future outbreaks!
Tell the Water Board to follow the science & reduce the pollution that leads to algae growth: https://baykeeper.org/action-alert/algae-blooms-new-normal
#algae #harmfulalgaeblooms #harmfulalgae #waterpollution #sanfranciscobay
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#ManMade #AlgaeBlooms called #RedTides are killing off #MarineLife and finally #California #wastewater districts are working together to clean & limit #fertilizing #Phosphorus #Nitrogen and #Nutrient rich sludge releases into the region's regulatory vacuum and sewer they call #SanFrancisco Bay. This month #Marin, #Alameda and #Berkeley Marina have all had #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms or #HAB occurrences monitored by #SanFranciscoBay Regional #WaterQuality Control Board and other agencies who are all largely powerless to stop the disgusting #discharges causing the #toxic conditions.
(#PayWall FREE subscriber gift link : https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/08/20/fighting-future-red-tides-in-san-francisco-bay/?share=uwnacfdttgchowc2aauo )
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Last summer's fish-killing #algae bloom is back in the Bay:
“Two years in a row is quite alarming,” our science director Jon Rosenfield told KQED, noting that it remained unclear how bad the bloom will get.
“There’s really nothing that people can do to stop a bloom like this once it’s started. It just has to burn itself out.”
https://www.kqed.org/science/1983631/last-summers-fish-killing-algae-bloom-is-back-in-the-bay #waterpollution #algaebloom #harmfulalgaeblooms #HABs #SFBay #sanfranciscobay #bayarea -
Thousands of #Dolphins and #SeaLions Washing Up Dead on #California Coast
Story by Robyn White, June 21, 2023
"There have been over a thousand reports of sick and dead mammals washing ashore, between June 8 and June 14, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"The cause for the deaths of these sea creatures has been identified as harmful #algae growing in large numbers along the Southern California coast.
"Scientists have said that the increased numbers of algal blooms across the world are due to #ClimateChange.
"As global water temperatures increase, so do these blooms, which can prove a hazard to marine life."
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Fresh water is “rushing like a firehose out of the delta” into the Bay says Baykeeper scientist @jarosenfield, and that’s helping to repress fish-killing #algalblooms--for now.
But we will need MAJOR wastewater upgrades to prevent red tides like the one we experienced last summer! https://sfchronicle.com/climate/article/san-francisco-bay-water-17923903.php #harmfulalgae #harmfulalgaeblooms #redtide #cawater #californiawater