California I experiencing an Algae bloom crisis. Not only are the numbers of blooms increasing, but the occurrence of toxic blue-green blooms is becoming much more common. Lakes and waterfronts throughout the state have been forced to close down due to worryingly high levels of the toxin microcystin, which can cause irritation and vomiting. Despite the rise of blue-green algae blooms, there are no reports of drinking water becoming contaminated, because drinking water is drawn from below where algae sits in a reservoir. Many residents are disappointed with the conditions, which experts link to California’s prolonged drought. The drought has cause lower water levels in large bodies of water, which makes them more likely to heat up when exposed to sunlight, as they are during the summer. This creates an ideal environment for algae to proliferate. The problem is also caused by fertilizer runoff from farms and golf courses, which feeds the algae extra nutrients.

This relates to environmental science because it shows that many factors can contribute to a population increase. In this case, the heat, the drought, and the fertilizer runoff all have an effect of the population of algae. I think that the California government needs to work on finding solutions to the algae problem that plagues the state. Algae blooms ill eventually go away, but given that California is experiencing algae blooms on such a large scale, it seems like the government should be trying to do something to help.