Are late-summer’s cyanobacterial blooms lasting longer and spreading further?
Sources of drinking water are under great pressure due to weather extremes, which are only likely to get worse with the ongoing climate change. One of the many challenges for surface waters (linked to increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, agricultural and other nutrient rich runoff and rising temperatures) is thriving cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. With late summer approaching in the northern hemisphere, and surface waters rich in nutrients, so too advances the cyanobacteria ‘bloom season’.
Over the following weeks, cyanobacteria blooms will dominate many surface-water ecosystems. As well as consuming oxygen in high quantities, many cyanobacteria species are known to produce adverse odour and taste compounds and dangerous cyanotoxins (e.g., microcystins or anatoxins), which are released into the water and can compromise the wellbeing of the immediate environment, and, ultimately, the safety of drinking water.
The National Centre for Environmental Toxicology (NCET) and WRc’s team research on cyanobacteria and their toxins is providing the most recent information for drinking water companies to help tackle the challenge of toxicological risk assessment and removal. However, wider action is needed to improve the land management across the UK, as with the increasing average UK temperatures the issue of cyanobacterial blooms is bound to get worse in the coming years.
Great Marek Pípal..