What plankton causes algae blooms?

Blooms caused by dinoflagellates and diatoms are called algal blooms. Dinoflagellates and diatoms are two different types of phytoplankton and are most often found in salt water or brackish water, including in estuaries.

What is the cause of algal bloom?

Algae blooms can occur when a combination of suitable environmental conditions exist for abundant algal growth (e.g., increased nutrients, warmer temperature, abundant light, and stable wind conditions).

What causes an algae bloom and why is this a problem?

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus cause an overgrowth of algae in a short period of time, also called algae blooms. The overgrowth of algae consumes oxygen and blocks sunlight from underwater plants. When the algae eventually dies, the oxygen in the water is consumed.

What causes Cyanotoxin blooms?

Cyanobacteria blooms form when cyanobacteria, which are normally found in the water, start to multiply very quickly. Blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients from sources such as fertilizer runoff or septic tank overflows. Cyanobacteria blooms need nutrients to survive.

What do phytoplankton blooms do?

Phytoplankton blooms threaten the health of aquatic organisms and the health of humans, pets, or livestock that use affected waters for drinking or recreation. High concentrations of phytoplankton during bloom conditions colors and clouds the water limiting the transmission of light in the water column.

Why are phytoplankton blooms bad?

These blooms can be problematic because the excess algae can block out sunlight, which is bad for plants like seagrasses that need sunlight to make food. Zooxanthallae, or symbiotic algae that live in the tissue of coral and supply coral with food, can also be impacted by algal blooms.

What are the effects of algae blooms?

Algal blooms can reduce the ability of fish and other aquatic life to find food and can cause entire populations to leave an area or even die. Harmful algal blooms cause thick, green muck that impacts clear water, recreation, businesses and property values.

Why are some cyanobacteria blooms harmful?

Cyanobacterial blooms can severely damage water ecosystems, causing fish and plants to suffocate and die. They compromise the water quality and safety for animals and people by releasing cyanotoxins into the water.

What are harmful algal blooms and cyanotoxins?

Cyanobacteria and their toxins can make people sick. In fresh water, such as lakes and ponds, harmful blooms are most commonly caused by cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae), which are a kind of single-celled organism called phytoplankton. Some cyanobacteria produce toxins (poisons) called cyanotoxins.

How do phytoplankton blooms affect the environment?

Large phytoplankton blooms impact climate in two important ways: higher amounts of carbon dioxide are removed from the atmosphere into the oceanic biological pump. Removing greenhouse gas molecules from the atmosphere mitigates the warming effect of CO2 fossil fuel emissions; and.

Is phytoplankton bloom good or bad?

No, not all algal blooms are harmful. These blooms occur when phytoplankton, which are tiny microscopic plants, grow quickly in large quantities while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds.

Are algae blooms harmful to humans?

Red tides, blue-green algae, and cyanobacteria are examples of harmful algal blooms that can have severe impacts on human health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy. Algal blooms can be toxic. Keep people and pets away from water that is green, scummy or smells bad.