Algae Blooms: The Side Effects Of Harmful Algal Blooms?

Over the past century, as a side effect of food production, humans have been releasing huge amounts of nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus into water resources like lakes, rivers and even oceanic coasts. This has caused enormous growth in algae populations, literally choking the life out of aquatic ecosystems and polluting water for humans as well. These “Harmful Algal Blooms” (HAB’s) or green tides as some call them can produce toxins that can hurt animals and humans alike turn water green and can cover miles of water in a single bloom. (Dec.ny.gov, 2014).

When the algae bloom decompose, the decomposers that break down these algae use the already minimal oxygen in the water through respiration and because of the sheer quantity of the algae, remove oxygen from the water creating an anaerobic environment where huge areas of once abundant life into “dead zones” where no aquatic life can survive. Algae blooms also envelope water sources preventing sunlight from entering the water and prevents photosynthesis, the process in which plants use the Suns UV rays to create energy of underwater plants. Decades of research and billions of dollars have resulted in gained
These inhibitors suppress the activity of autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), the bacteria that changes Ammonia to Nitrate. Inhibitors also stop the de-nitrification of Nitrate into Nitrous oxide (N2O); a greenhouse gas, decreasing loses of Nitrogen in the soil as well as preventing large amounts of greenhouse gases to emit, indirectly preventing algae blooms by stopping climate and meteorological changes in the Earths biosphere. Keeping the N in an Ammonium state reduces the mobility of Nitrogen, making it less vulnerable to leaching and runoff in the