Summer heatwaves promote blooms of harmful cyanobacteria

Abstract Dense surface blooms of toxic cyanobacteria in eutrophic lakes may lead to mass mortalities of fish and birds, and provide a serious health threat for cattle, pets, and humans. It has been argued that global warming may increase the incidence of harmful algal blooms. Here, we report on a lake experiment where intermittent artificial mixing failed to control blooms of the harmful cyanobacterium Microcystis during the summer of 2003, one of the hottest summers ever recorded in Europe. To understand this failure, we develop a coupled biological–physical model investigating how competition for light between buoyant cyanobacteria, diatoms, and green algae in eutrophic lakes is affected by the…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Award: pol010006
• NO
  Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Award: pol010006