Thursday, April 25, 2024
Tags Posts tagged with "harmful algal blooms"

Tag: harmful algal blooms

Researchers are predicting a mild harmful algal bloom for Lake Erie this year, following a dry spring.

A new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows how soon after a storm phosphorous "loading" sparks algae explosions.

For the third year in a row, Lake Erie is expecting a below average algal bloom this summer, due largely to less heavy rainfall. The bloom is expected to be at a 3.5 on the severity index.

Researchers and leaders in both the Ohio Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency discussed updates on harmful algal bloom research, and water quality programs in the state at the Understanding Algal Blooms: State of the Science virtual conference Sept. 8.

Researchers are expecting a relatively mild harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie this summer. This follows a similarly mild bloom in 2020.

The H2Ohio program is continuing to face budget challenges due to the pandemic. In the mean time, researchers say solving Lake Erie’s water quality problems will require long-term investments and work to reduce nutrient runoff. And some are suggesting that phosphorus built up in soil, rather than phosphorus from new fertilizer applications, might play a bigger role in those problems than previously thought.