Background Articles

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.

Thriving communities of red algae are doing something nefarious to the world's ice sheets: melting them more quickly.

Thriving communities of red algae are doing something nefarious to the world's ice sheets: melting them more quickly.

Scientists say the threat from sargassum is as serious as rising sea levels and hurricanes.

The toxic algae bloom has already been named as the killer or suspected killer of more than 100 manatees since the spring.

Algae isn't just causing swimmers' itch anymore; it's threatening water supplies. State regulations are starting to address it.

Scientist warns of "seagrass crisis" in Caribbeans MEXICO CITY (Rahnuma): Massive quantities of Sargassum seaweed are invading Caribbean beaches mostly thanks to global warming and countries should work closely with scientists for a sustainable solution, said a researcher at a leading Mexican university on

High levels of toxic blue-green algae, which has thrived in this summer's extreme hot weather, is making it more difficult to secure clean drinking water. ...

EUMETSAT satellite shows blue-green algae bloom covering Lake Okeechobee.

An oxygen-starved area of almost 165,000 square kilometres in the Gulf of Oman is now the world’s largest marine “dead zone.” Incapable of supporting

Guyana’s fish production has suffered a significant decline partly due to the adverse impact of sargassum seaweed, local and regional fishery experts said.

The "unprecedented" warm water in the Pacific caused a massive toxic algae bloom from California to Alaska.

Scientists first caught on to the strange event when they found thousands of purple sea urchins and other organisms dead in their laboratory tanks. Their theory: The mass deaths were caused by a huge bloom of algae.

Lake Fortune which has unusual under-ice cyanobacterial growth and Lake Beauchamp which is supposed to be low in nutrients as it is mainly fed by groundwater. Cyanobacterial toxicity level is increasing in these two lakes threatening life and livelihood of the local community.

Coccolithophores and the carbon cycle Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations are resulting in both warmer sea surface temperatures due to the

Scientists have documented an increase in abundance of harmful algal blooms in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas.

Scientists have identified a key nutrient source used by algae living on melting ice surfaces linked to rising sea levels. They discovered that phosphorus containing minerals may be driving ever-larger algal blooms on the Greenland Ice Sheet.

As the deepest and most northern of the Great Lakes, Superior was once thought immune to algal blooms, which is why it was such a shock when the first report of blue-green algae came in 2012.