Slimy lakes and dead dogs: climate crisis has brought the season of toxic algae

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Slimy lakes and dead dogs: climate crisis has brought the season of toxic algae

Warming water and pollution are contributing to a variety of harmful bacteria that can wreak havoc on aquatic environments

Susie Cagle in San Francisco
Thu 19 Sep 2019 01.00 EDT

From New York City to coastal California, a poison-producing living slime is overtaking waterways and shorelines, killing pets, ravaging tourism markets and making its way into local drinking water. So far this year, algae has been implicated in dog deaths and illness in California, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. In August, toxic algae overtook Lake Erie, growing to 620 square miles.

These biotoxic blooms can last anywhere from a few weeks to over a year.

This nationwide algae epidemic points to a sustained shift in the aquatic environment – one that experts say is being driven by pollution and the climate crisis.

“We believe climate change is really having a huge impact on the occurrence and growth of these blooms,” said Anne Schechinger, a senior analyst for the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “We know the incidence of blooms is just going to keep going up and up.”

A report by the EWG found toxic algae blooms have apparently grown in size and frequency multi-fold since 2010. Reports of algae outbreaks are up 22% compared to this same time last year.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/18/toxic-algae-climate-change-slimy-lakes-dead-dogs

______________________________________________________________________

Related: News Reports of Algae Blooms, 2010 to Present (Environmental Working Group)

[FoxNewsSucks]

1. I remember when it was fun

to swim in ponds, lakes, streams. . . .

The good ol' days, when you could go outside and not worry about the environment killing you.