Jarred Bock Write and Respond: The Growing Threat of Algae Blooms
Algae blooms are large clusters of different strands of algae that grow in fresh and salt water above 24 degrees. They are found all over the United States and are a growing threat. As time has gone on, the problem has continually become more severe. Major factors that have been contributing to the increase in blooms across the country are increased precipitation and warmer temperatures. Both of these factors are caused mostly by human induced climate change. Algae blooms can be extremely harmful. Some of their effects include reducing usable drinking water, being toxic to animals, and destroying the economy of certain regions.
Global warming is a major issue for several reasons, including the increase in algae bloom populations. Global Warming is being caused by increased greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, from the fossil fuels being burned to produce energy. Algae blooms occur when nutrients from farmland, factories, or machinery run-off into lakes or oceans. In order for algae blooms to form, a few things are required. There needs to be sufficient nutrient runoff, as well as water above 24 degrees Celsius. This fact presents an obvious correlation between algae blooms and global warming. As the earth gets warmer, harmful algae blooms will become more frequent, since bodies of water will more frequently be above 24 degrees. “When water bodies warm up earlier and stay warmer longer… you increase the number of incident, That’s just logical and it’s being borne out. Another factor is the increased rainfall that global warming causes. Global warming has been shown to intensify the worlds water cycle. Increased evaporation due to higher temperatures means increased precipitation, which in turn leads to more runoff into bodies of water. Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also facilitates the growth of the highly toxic blue-green algae.
The effects that algae blooms can have on both human and animal populations cannot be underexaggerated. First and foremost, algae blooms are known to create what are known as dead zones. Dead zones make it impossible for wildlife to survive because they block out all oxygen in area, contaminating drinking water with dead fish. Dead zones even have the potential to wipe out entire populations in a lake or bay, messing up the ecosystem entirely. It is also likely that as algae blooms increase in the US, more people in rural areas who fish their own food will get sick. Cooking the animals does not actually kill off the toxins that the algae bloom produces. Some algae blooms are so toxic that they can even kill humans. The bacteria Alexandrium can cause a person to become completely paralyzed from only small consumption. While the algae called Pseudo-nitzschia produces a toxin called domoic acid that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, seizures, permanent short-term memory loss, or death, when consumed at high levels. Populations, such as costal areas and rural areas, that rely more on fish and other seafood are most at risk. Harmful algae blooms can also lead to the closures of fisheries and other seafood related business over time as they continue to increase. There is also the issue of possible long-term health consequences. Immediate effects of consuming algae bloom toxin are already known, but new research is highlighting possible health issues from only trace amounts. It appears to be possible that over the last 10 years, trace amounts of the bacteria algae blooms produce may be seeping into our drinking water, and seafood more. While early research is still being done, it does not look promising. It appears as though harmful algae bloom bacteria even in trace amounts has the potential to cause issues with brain development in children and the elderly.
In 2010, there were only three reports of toxic algae blooms in the US. In 2015, there were 15 reports, and in 2016 there were 51. This is a massive increase in algae blooms. One of these algae blooms was the Toledo algae bloom in Lake Erie. This one was extremely harmful because it reduced the available drinking water in Toledo. Although no bacteria actually ended up in the drinking water, it’s a plausible theory that as algae blooms continue to increase, some will eventually make it in. This would be a total disaster as this bacterium has the potential to be extremely poisonous to humans. For example, below is a chart showing how algae blooms and there severity have increased in Lake Erie over time. It shows a general increase in algae bloom populations over time, which has not just happened at Lake Erie, but all around the country. This is due partly to an increase in global warming, and partly due to increased agricultural production in that area. Algae blooms have been a major factor in the reduction of tourism profits for Lake Erie as well. It is estimated that it will cost the tourism industry about 272,000,000 dollars this year. As algae bloom populations continue to increase, this number is likely to go up.
An area experiencing a major issue with algae blooms right now is south Florida. Along the Gulf of Mexico, the “red tide” caused by an algae bloom killed hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, along with other sea life last year. You cannot swim in the ocean while a red tide is occurring, so this is a major hit to tourism for southwest Florida and along the gulf. This year, beaches have already had to be shut down due to the red tide coming back. Red tide used to be a much rarer occurrence but is happening more frequently, likely due to global warming. This year, it is estimated that levels of dead fish will be at an all time high, with about 850,000 pounds of dead fish. This is a significant reduction in amount of available food in the Gulf. Southwest Florida is very reliant on this population of fish for its large seafood industry, as well as its massive tourism industry. Since the year 1910, earths annual global average temperature has increased by about 0.8 degrees Celsius. 14.51 degrees in 2000 – 13.72 degrees in 1910 equals an increase of 0.8 degrees. Since 1910, the earth oceans have increased by about 1 degree Celsius. Experts predict that earths temperatures could increase by two degrees Celsius by 2050. If earths ocean temperatures increase by 1 degree Celsius for every 0.8 degrees of earth temperature increase, then that means by 2050, starting from the 2000’s, earths ocean temperatures will have increased by 2.5 degrees Celsius. 2/ 0.8 = 2.5 degrees. This could be potentially catastrophic for a place like the Gulf of Mexico. The states that boarder the Gulf rely so heavily on seafood populations, such as West Florida, Texas, and Louisiana especially. A 2.5 degree increase in ocean surface temperature would mean that young shrimp, and fish populations would have less time to develop before the red tide sets in. If the temperature is that much higher, red tide will surly set in significantly earlier in the year, as well as last longer. This would effectively destroy the Gulf’s ecosystem, and the economy that goes along with it. The Gulf of Mexico has already seen massive reductions in wildlife populations from the BP oil spill. It cannot afford this projected increase in algae blooms. The gulf states rich economy could potentially turn to nothing.
Another case of algae blooms effecting humans is when in 2016, a state of emergency had to be declared in four south Florida counties. This is a big waste of funds, especially for a place like Florida which needs them because of frequent hurricanes. Another case of a near occurred in Salem Oregon. One day, everyone in this town received an alert on their phones. It said, “civil emergency in progress”. This of course, caused a giant panic. At first, most people thought something violent was happening, but what it actually was, was a harmful algae bloom. Harmful, potentially fatal toxins had gotten into the water supply of this town in Oregon. It was not until 30 minutes later that a text was sent out to clarify that it was not a violent emergency. If only a little bit more bacteria had gotten into this water, it could have resulted in hundreds of people getting seriously sick.
Algae blooms are clearly a major problem that need to be addressed. If we do not address global warming as a whole, then there is no way we can address the algae bloom problem. Although at this present moment algae blooms aren’t causing catastrophic damage, the potential is clearly there. Reduction of usable drinking water is not something the United States can afford right now. It is also not fair to the millions who rely on shrimp and fish in the Gulf, whose lively hoods could be destroyed.
Works Cited
Associated Press. “Toxic Algae Blooms Becoming More Common across US.” New York Post, New York Post, 22 June 2018, /https://nypost.com/2018/06/22/toxic-algae-blooms-becoming-more-common-across-us/
Environmental Working Group. “Across U.S., Toxic Algal Blooms Pollute Lakes.” EWG, https://www.ewg.org/toxicalgalblooms/.
Banicki, Jill Jentes. “NOAA, Partners Predict Smaller Harmful Algal Bloom for Western Lake Erie.” Ohio Sea Grant College Program, Ohio Sea Grant College Program, 6 July 2016, https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/news/2016/khohx/2016-habs-forecast.
“Voyager: How Long until Ocean Temperature Goes up a Few More Degrees?” Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 19 Mar. 2014, https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/voyager-how-long-until-ocean-temperature-goes-few-more-degrees.
CurrentResults.com, Liz Osborn. “History of Changes in the Earths Temperature.” Annual Average Temperature History for Earth – Current Results, https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/changes-in-earth-temperature.php.