Toledo

Western Lake Erie's annual summer algal blooms are triggered, at least in part, by cyanobacteria cells that survive the winter in lake-bottom sediments, then emerge in the spring to "seed" the next year's bloom, according to a research team led by University of Michigan scientists.

Anglers has expressed concerns that this early-arriving green slime signals the end of what was viewed as the summer of plenty for walleye fishermen.

Blue-green algae blooms, exacerbated by climate change and nutrient runoff, are increasingly appearing in the Great Lakes, posing risks to human and environmental health.