AlgEternal Soil Microalgae Video Series #2: 'Algal Blooms--not algae's fault'

Microalgal blooms occur in nature whenever certain conditions are optimal, for example, water temperature, pH, and most importantly the presence of dissolved nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates. Eutrophication, or the presence of high nutrient levels in water bodies, usually results from the excessive addition of chemical fertilizers to land for agriculture, lawns, golf courses, etc., which get washed off and enters rivers, lakes and nearshore areas. Similar conditions are created when municipal wastewater is treated and discharged into the environment without nutrient recycling, so highly enriched treated effluent enters our ecosystems. Microalgae, which exist at low levels in virtually every water body then have explosive population growth that we call blooms. It's not their fault; it's our fault. Microalgae just react in the way Nature intended.