Page 64 - MIN ECEM

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 19 July 2017

Scientists expect ‘significant’

algae bloom on Lake Erie

stepped up since then and
early-detection devices in-
stalled, he added.
Still, the situation under-
scores the need to reduce
the flow of nutrients into the
lake that feed algae and
similar bacteria, primarily
from farms but also sewage
treatment plants and other
sources, Stumpf said.
Researchers have devel-
oped a scale for rating the
severity of a bloom based
In this June 21, 2017 file photo, a man cools off at a water
fountain in Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. on how much algae it con-
Associated Press In this Aug. 3, 2014, file photo, an algae bloom covers Lake Erie tains over a sustained peri-
near the City of Toledo water intake crib off the shore of Curtice, od. They predict this year’s
will register a score of 7.5,
First half of 2017 Ohio. Associated Press though it could range any-
where from 6 to 9.5. A rating
ranks 2nd hottest By JOHN FLESHER two-day shutdown of tap above 5 indicates a poten-
water systems for 400,000 tially harmful level, mean-
AP Environmental Writer
globally, behind 2016 TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) people in Toledo, Ohio, and ing such blooms could do
producing
by
damage
— A “significant” harmful southeastern Michigan.
algae bloom is expected “It’ll be large, green and toxins or sucking enough
to form in western Lake Erie ugly and will cause the oxygen from the water to
this summer, though it prob- same kinds of issues it has cause fish kills.
By SETH BORENSTEIN al temperatures. But NOAA ably won’t be as large as in the past for charter boat When they developed the
AP Science Writer climate scientist Ahira San- some previous formations captains trying to get peo- scale, researchers thought
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chez-Lugo says it is remark- that posed health risks and ple out to fish,” said Don the maximum score would
first half of 2017 was the able that 2017 without an El hampered tourism, scien- Scavia, a University of Mich- be a 10. The weather has
second warmest on record Nino so far beats all but the tists said Thursday. igan scientist. been significantly wetter
for Earth, only behind last super El Nino year of 2016. The National Oceanic and It’s unlikely to create anoth- this year, and the bloom
year. She says that’s the world Atmospheric Administra- er drinking water crisis like size is expected to reflect
The National Oceanic and changing into an ever tion and research partners the one three years ago. It that. Recent algae forma-
Atmospheric Administra- warming climate. released their annual algae resulted from a rare combi- tions in western Lake Erie
tion announced Tuesday Record warmth was mea- forecast for the shallowest nation of factors, including have taken shape in late
Earth’s average tempera- sured in much of Mexico, and warmest of the Great high levels of toxins gener- July and grown bigger in
ture from January to June western Europe, eastern Lakes, where massive al- ated by the bloom and early August. But he added
was 57.9 degrees (14.4 de- Russia, eastern Africa and gae formations are a recur- its location near Toledo’s that despite its anticipated
grees Celsius). eastern China. The U.S. had ring threat to the environ- offshore water intake facil- size, “much of the lake will
That’s 1.6 degrees warmer its second warmest start. ment and the economy. ity, NOAA oceanographer be algae-free throughout
than the 20th century aver- Globally, June was the Toxic contamination from Rick Stumpf said. the bloom season and the
age. third warmest on record. a 2014 bloom prompted a Monitoring has been lake remains a key asset.”q
Natural El Ninos spike glob- Records go back to 1880.q