Plassman, Cole. “Algal Blooms Are a Growing Problem in Lake Erie – Farm and Dairy.” Farm and Dairy, 23 Jan. 2025, www.farmanddairy.com/columns/algal-blooms-are-a-growing-problem-in-lake-erie/857055.html. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.

Harmful algae blooms have been occurring in Lake Erie since 2015, and are continuing to increase in the past 10 years. They point out that Lake Erie’s shallow nature plays a key role in its vulnerability to blooms. Unlike deeper lakes, which can disperse nutrients throughout the water column, the shallowness of Lake Erie allows nutrients to remain concentrated at the surface, causing more algae to grow and bloom on the surface. Residents of the nearby city Toledo were greatly affected, with around 400,00 residents experiencing contaminated water. Programs have been put in place to attempt to reduce the amount of algae blooms by regulating nutrient runoff, specifically the program is called H2Ohio.  They have had success in reducing the amount of runoff and therefore blooms have not been growing in recent years. 

This article provided a comprehensive connection between runoff and its effect on algae, as well as the natural factors of the lake. Something I had not taken into account prior to this article, adding a new lens to my search. I was happy to hear that action was being taken and that it showed success in reducing runoff within the lake Erie area. Algae blooms in such a large body of water could be very harmful to the environment and tourism of the lake, therefore hurting the locals as well.  

“DOH-Orange Issues Blue Green Algae Health Alert for Big Sand Lake—from Dock | Florida Department of Health in Orange.” Floridahealth.gov, 2025, orange.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2025/01/alert-big-sand-lake.html.

This informational article is a warning for residents of Orange County Florida to avoid water and take caution in water based activities during the winter. Officially they state that The Florida Department of Health in Orange County put out a health alert for harmful blue-green algae toxins in Big Sand Lake. They warn off any things involving water, including washing dishes and showering. They also explain that even boiling water, something that typically removes bacteria, will not work on purifying the water. 

A pattern I have noticed in these articles from the past 6 months is that they are mostly warning about avoiding water, showing how current and large this situation is. Over the summer, algae blooms such as the one in the article, have become boosted by heat and become a serious issue in  many areas. This article shines a light on how far this issue spreads to human usage as it contaminates freshwater sources that feed into  human daily life. As well as the difficulty  that comes with treating the water, a new perspective I had not heard about so far. 

KSL NewsRadio. “Potentially Toxic Algal Bloom Detected at Utah Lake.” KSLTV.com, 4 July 2024, ksltv.com/local-news/algal-bloom-at-utah-lake/658663/. 

In bodies of water in Utah, The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has issued algae bloom warnings in Provo Bay, Lincoln Beach, American Fork Beach, and Saratoga Springs Marina. They state that the source of the blooms is summertime conditions of warm water and intenses sunlight. Warnings for the algae blooms were issued to many locals and posted by BlueGreen water technologies. Interviews with locals show that they have had to avoid water and being on beaches due to these blooms.

This article focused on updating the news and spreading awareness for the issue, however I thought it was interesting how they explained the issue. While algae blooms can occur due to conditions  present in the summer, this is more often than not, not the only reason. They do not mention that the blooms are more present and prevalent due to overuse of fertilizers and waste in the area, and how runoff would increase these effects. This reason is most likely what should be sourced and should be mentioned to raise awareness  in the area. Instead this article fails to mention this aspect of the issue, making me question the reliability of the testing and companies involved in the article.

“Wisconsin Beachgoers: Be Aware of Blue-Green Algae Risks | Wisconsin DNR.” Wisconsin DNR, 2024, dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/96341.

Wisconsin has seen a large increase in blue-green algae blooms, otherwise known as cyanobacteria. While this type of algae is present in bodies of water across Wisconsin, bodies of water that found high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus often experience algae blooms. They warn people of the many negative effects and to stay out of water if it looks like it could be contaminated. They state that symptoms of blue-green algal toxin poisoning in people include vomiting and diarrhea from indigestion and sore throat and wheezing from inhalation.

This article is structured as a public safety announcement to the citizens of Wisconsin and a warning to stay out of contaminated water. This is a unique perspective because it shows how public this issue has become and how it will start to affect the daily lives of people. It  makes me worried for our area, given we’re surrounded by bays, estuaries, and the ocean. Algae blooms could create large problems for the life and industries that rely on these spaces. This article explains how algae blooms happen  in simple terms, making it easy to connect to fertilizer and waste runoff from local industry. 

Galoustian, Gisele. “What’s Really “Fueling” Harmful Algae in Florida’s Lake Okeechobee?” Fau.edu, 2024, www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/lake-okeechobee-harmful-algae-study.

Algae blooms were found in lake Okeechobee in Florida and spread into nearby water and estuaries, causing problems for the local wildlife. Researchers conducted two research cruises across the Lake Okeechobee Waterway and three sampling events of these blooms. They measured nitrogen isotopes in phytoplankton to see if human waste or fertilizers were involved. They found that they need to cut down on both nitrogen and phosphorus.

This article shows an alarming trend of algae blooms across the world, in this instance it reportedly was disastrous for the nearby estuaries. Through their tests the scientists found that the algae bloom was, as expected, as a result of local pollution into water from industries. They suspected it was due to phosphorus fertilizer but found both nitrogen and phosphorus to be a problem. Making hope of finding a solution even harder. In my opinion this article shows how widespread the issue of algae blooms are, and how they are not something we can put off. This bloom has had very large impacts on the area, in images within the article, the situation looks out of control.

https://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/threats-to-the-bay/dead-zone

There is a dead zone in the Chesapeake Bay that has ranged from 1.5 cubic miles to .5 cubic miles. The dead zone is historically small this year because of the below average rainfall. This has affected its size because the rainfall is what takes the nutrients from fields through the rivers and to the bay. This excess of nutrients, or lack thereof, is what determines the dead zone’s size. The Bay’s dead zone is monitored by cruises sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Monitoring Program, for data and making sure nothing is too far out of order. 

I am grateful for the methods that were offered on how to help limit dead zones on an individual level. Installing a rain garden, or rain barrel, to capture and absorb rainfall as well as using boiling water rather than pesticides to kill invasive weeds were recommended. It does also mention that the hot weather prompts the growth of dead zones, but didn’t explain why. It’s unfortunate that the nutrients are washed out into the bay by spring rain just in time for the summer temperatures to boost the dead zone. 

Using Machine Learning to Model Dead Zones in Lakes

There is a research team at UCONN who is developing special methods of detection to learn more about algae blooms and dead zones, using Lake Erie. The machine they have built is meant to forecast water quality by integrating data from many different sources with algorithms and observations. It accounts for physical, biological, weather-related, and human processes that could affect eutrophication. It uses machine learning for the most accuracy. 

Like the interview with Dr. Stumpf, the technology is promising. It intrigues me because of how little I know about it while still understanding what it does. I want to know more about how the model was able to tell the different temperature within one water column. I am very impressed with the technology and am excited to learn much more about what it will be used for and how it will be distributed further in order to have wider data on more than just the Erie bloom. 

https://www.foxweather.com/e arth-space /gulf-of- mexico-dead-zone-2024 

There is a massive dead zone largely off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico. This has forced the plants to die and the animals to leave the region or face significant changes in their lifestyles, such as altered diets, growth rates, and reproduction. This year, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is about 130% of the five year average, at just over 6,700 square miles. This is caused by the runoff from the Mississippi River, which poured so much nutrients into the ocean that algae bloomed and died, causing oxygen depletion in the area. 

Although this article answered many questions I had, it left me with more than prior to reading it. I am curious exactly what detriments a dead zone causes and what actions can be taken to fix this. It was also mentioned, and illustrated with a graph, that the size of the dead zone is wildly inconsistent, but gave no reasoning as to why. I would’ve appreciated a much more in depth explanation of one or two subtopics of the dead zone rather than the one or two sentences spent on each subtopic. 

https://www.wemu.org/show/issues-Of-the-environment/2024-07-24/issues-of-the-environment-algae-is-in-full-bloom-on-lake-erie

There was a very severe algae bloom on Lake Erie in 2014 that contaminated the Toledo water supply for three days. Since then the blooms have not been nearly as toxic. Part of the reason 2014 was such a particularly dangerous year was because the cells themselves were producing more toxins. Coupled with the larger than average size, the bloom took over. Dr. Stumpf explains advances in technology since then, mostly in monitoring, and why they will help prevent any such event in the future. 

I loved the interview format. Dr. Stumpf is clearly very knowledgeable and eloquent when explaining such issues and what responses need to happen. The prospect of the new and developing technologies that he describes in the interview is very exciting. It honestly made me think about if I would fit in a job like that because of how interesting it all sounded. Also after reading about the consequences, I would love to see this problem reduced. 

https ://www.cbsnews.com/news/connecticut-sized-dead-zone-expected-gulf-of-mexico-marine-life-noaa/ 

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is caused by extra/unnatural nutrients in the Mississippi River discharge. Phosphorus and nitrogen were distributed into the river in above average amounts this year, whether that was from runoff from fields with fertilizer, animal waste, or eroding soil. When dead zones are large, the coastal economies suffer due to the irregular fishing. Cover crops, reduction of farm field drainage into rivers, filling floodplains with wetlands to filter nutrients are all actions being taken by the National Wildlife Federation to regulate the nutrients running into the ocean and minimize the dead zone. 

This article was detailed in statistics and what those statistics meant. I liked how it had few important graphics and the rest was explaining things like how the size of the dead zone was this year in comparison to last and in comparison to the largest it has been, where specifically the extra phosphorus and nitrogen came from, and more. It also included a video of an interview with a NOAA professor that helps explain further exactly how the oxygen depletes, why this year is different, and what we can do to reduce the dead zone.