Do harmful algal blooms only occur in salty, marine waters or can they also occur in freshwater?
ALLISON SILL: Kate, harmful algal blooms can occur in freshwater too and a great example of this would be the Great Lakes where they have reoccurring green blooms and these green blooms can produce toxins. These toxins can be harmful to humans so they are monitored carefully and toxins are removed by the suppliers of public drinking water in that area. (CAUSE OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS) HOST: What causes harmful algal blooms? ALLISON SILL: There are a variety of factors that can cause these harmful algal blooms some of which are natural and some of which are not natural. The cause also is dependent on the species type and what that species needs in order to actually bloom. When conditions such as salinity – which is the amount of salt in the water, temperature, nutrients – when these factors are optimal, the bloom can occur. And some species are actually good indicators of coastal eutrophication, which is known as nutrient pollution. HOST: I think we can all understand that in different g
