Case Studies
Harmful Algal Blooms on the Rise in New York State
Harmful algal blooms are a water quality problem found across New York State in all types of aquatic ecosystems.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are excessive growths of algae in a water body that reduce dissolved oxygen concentrations, alter aquatic food webs, create unsightly scums along shorelines, produce taste-and-odor compounds that spoil the taste of drinking water and fish, and generate toxins potent enough to poison aquatic and terrestrial organisms.1 These blooms occur in lakes, rivers, wetlands, and the marine environment. In fresh water, HABs are usually caused by cyanobacteria, which create a blue-green color or scum on the water surface. In recent years, cyanobacteria blooms have coincided with an increase in reported poisonings of humans, pets, and wildlife.2 A study from 2016 characterized HABs as a significant threat to the water quality of some freshwater ecosystems, depending on the time of year and the location.3 Evidence from satellite and other proxy measurements indicates that algal blooms are becoming more frequent in lakes across the globe,4 though not in marine ecosystems.5 A widespread increase in the frequency of algal blooms has not been identified in the United States, though evidence suggests that there has been some intensification of lake algal blooms in the Northeast.6,7 In New York State, HABs have occurred in Chautauqua Lake, Oneida Lake, several of the Finger Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, and many smaller lakes.8–12 Researchers have identified HAB-associated toxins in New York State’s marine waters that can poison humans and pets through shellfish consumption.13 Reported illness and deaths of wildlife, pets, and humans due to contact with HABs in state water bodies have increased, highlighting the importance of this issue.14
Highlights
- HABs are excessive, unsightly growths of algae that can harm humans, wildlife, and pets.
- HABs have been found in rivers, lakes, wetlands, and estuaries across New York State and appear to be increasing in frequency across the northeastern United States.
- HABs occur due to variables such as nutrient availability, weather patterns, and the interactions of aquatic organisms. Climate-related factors such as increasing water temperature and more frequent, intense storms are important drivers of HABs.
Common factors that influence HABs include nutrients (such as phosphorus and nitrogen), water temperature, carbon dioxide, solar radiation, wind, and food web dynamics.15 Studies show that the causes of HABs vary across seasons and even among water bodies in close proximity, and in many cases the exact cause is unknown.16 Although HABs often occur in water bodies with high nutrient levels, they also occur in seemingly pristine waters with low nutrient levels in New York State and surrounding regions.17,18
Climate Interaction
Several studies have identified climate change as a driver of HABs in New York State, the surrounding region, and globally.4,19,20 Climate-related factors that drive HABs include higher water temperature and a rise in the frequency and intensity of large storms, which indirectly increase nutrient loads in nearby water bodies from precipitation runoff.21,22 Future climate projections suggest that climate change will play a growing role in HABs in New York State and globally. Heightened monitoring of HABs and their related constituents will make it easier to predict and manage outbreaks. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is implementing HAB action plans for 12 priority lakes, including financial support for projects to improve water quality and reduce the frequency and intensity of algal blooms.12 One goal of the action plans is to transfer knowledge about HABs gained from these 12 priority lakes to other areas in the state where HABs are occurring. Research is underway to improve the capability to predict HABs in New York State lakes.
For More Information
References
1. Graham, J. L., Dubrovsky, N. M., & Eberts, S. M. (2017). Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and U.S. Geological Survey science capabilities (Open-File Report 2016-1174). https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161174
2. Svirčev, Z., Lalić, D., Bojadžija Savić, G., Tokodi, N., Drobac Backović, D., Chen, L., Meriluoto, J., & Codd, G. A. (2019). Global geographical and historical overview of cyanotoxin distribution and cyanobacterial poisonings. Archives of Toxicology, 93(9), 2429–2481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-019-02524-4
3. Brooks, B. W., Lazorchak, J. M., Howard, M. D. A., Johnson, M.-V. V., Morton, S. L., Perkins, D. A. K., Reavie, E. D., Scott, G. I., Smith, S. A., & Steevens, J. A. (2016). Are harmful algal blooms becoming the greatest inland water quality threat to public health and aquatic ecosystems? Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 35(1), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.3220
4. Hou, X., Feng, L., Dai, Y., Hu, C., Gibson, L., Tang, J., Lee, Z., Wang, Y., Cai, X., Liu, J., Zheng, Y., & Zheng, C. (2022). Global mapping reveals increase in lacustrine algal blooms over the past decade. Nature Geoscience, 15(2), 130–134. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00887-x
5. Hallegraeff, G. M., Anderson, D. M., Belin, C., Bottein, M.-Y. D., Bresnan, E., Chinain, M., Enevoldsen, H., Iwataki, M., Karlson, B., McKenzie, C. H., Sunesen, I., Pitcher, G. C., Provoost, P., Richardson, A., Schweibold, L., Tester, P. A., Trainer, V. L., Yñiguez, A. T., & Zingone, A. (2021). Perceived global increase in algal blooms is attributable to intensified monitoring and emerging bloom impacts. Communications Earth & Environment, 2(1), 117. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00178-8
6. Gobler, C. J., Doherty, O. M., Hattenrath-Lehmann, T. K., Griffith, A. W., Kang, Y., & Litaker, R. W. (2017). Ocean warming since 1982 has expanded the niche of toxic algal blooms in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(19), 4975–4980. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1619575114
7. Wilkinson, G. M., Walter, J. A., Buelo, C. D., & Pace, M. L. (2022). No evidence of widespread algal bloom intensification in hundreds of lakes. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 20(1), 16–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2421
8. Boyer, G. L. (2007). The occurrence of cyanobacterial toxins in New York lakes: Lessons from the MERHAB-Lower Great Lakes program. Lake and Reservoir Management, 23(2), 153–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/07438140709353918
9. Gobler, C. J., Burson, A., Koch, F., Tang, Y., & Mulholland, M. R. (2012). The role of nitrogenous nutrients in the occurrence of harmful algal blooms caused by Cochlodinium polykrikoides in New York estuaries (USA). Harmful Algae, 17, 64–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2012.03.001
10. Hudon, C., Gagnon, P., Poirier Larabie, S., Gagnon, C., Lajeunesse, A., Lachapelle, M., & Quilliam, M. A. (2016). Spatial and temporal variations of a saxitoxin analogue (LWTX-1) in Lyngbya wollei (Cyanobacteria) mats in the St. Lawrence River (Québec, Canada). Harmful Algae, 57, 69–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2016.06.001
11. Perri, K. A., Sullivan, J. M., & Boyer, G. L. (2015). Harmful algal blooms in Sodus Bay, Lake Ontario: A comparison of nutrients, marina presence, and cyanobacterial toxins. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 41(2), 326–337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2015.03.022
12. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. (n.d.). Harmful algal bloom (HAB) action plans. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/113733.html
13. Anderson, D. M., Fensin, E., Gobler, C. J., Hoeglund, A. E., Hubbard, K. A., Kulis, D. M., Landsberg, J. H., Lefebvre, K. A., Provoost, P., Richlen, M. L., Smith, J. L., Solow, A. R., & Trainer, V. L. (2021). Marine harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the United States: History, current status and future trends. Harmful Algae, 102, 101975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2021.101975
14. Figgatt, M., Hyde, J., Dziewulski, D., Wiegert, E., Kishbaugh, S., Zelin, G., & Wilson, L. (2017). Harmful algal bloom-associated illnesses in humans and dogs identified through a pilot surveillance system — New York, 2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 66(43), 1182–1184. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6643a5
15. Burford, M. A., Carey, C. C., Hamilton, D. P., Huisman, J., Paerl, H. W., Wood, S. A., & Wulff, A. (2020). Perspective: Advancing the research agenda for improving understanding of cyanobacteria in a future of global change. Harmful Algae, 91, 101601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2019.04.004
16. Urquhart, E. A., Schaeffer, B. A., Stumpf, R. P., Loftin, K. A., & Werdell, P. J. (2017). A method for examining temporal changes in cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom spatial extent using satellite remote sensing. Harmful Algae, 67, 144–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2017.06.001
17. Carey, C. C., Ewing, H. A., Cottingham, K. L., Weathers, K. C., Thomas, R. Q., & Haney, J. F. (2012). Occurrence and toxicity of the cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata in low-nutrient lakes in the northeastern United States. Aquatic Ecology, 46(4), 395–409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-012-9409-9
18. Favot, E. J., Rühland, K. M., DeSellas, A. M., Ingram, R., Paterson, A. M., & Smol, J. P. (2019). Climate variability promotes unprecedented cyanobacterial blooms in a remote, oligotrophic Ontario lake: evidence from paleolimnology. Journal of Paleolimnology, 62, 31–52. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10933-019-00074-4
19. Hecht, J. S., Zia, A., Clemins, P. J., Schroth, A. W., Winter, J. M., Oikonomou, P. D., & Rizzo, D. M. (2022). Modeling the sensitivity of cyanobacteria blooms to plausible changes in precipitation and air temperature variability. Science of The Total Environment, 812, 151586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151586
20. Wells, M. L., Trainer, V. L., Smayda, T. J., Karlson, B. S. O., Trick, C. G., Kudela, R. M., Ishikawa, A., Bernard, S., Wulff, A., Anderson, D. M., & Cochlan, W. P. (2015). Harmful algal blooms and climate change: Learning from the past and present to forecast the future. Harmful Algae, 49, 68–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2015.07.009
21. Larsen, M. L., Baulch, H. M., Schiff, S. L., Simon, D. F., Sauvé, S., & Venkiteswaran, J. J. (2020). Extreme rainfall drives early onset cyanobacterial bloom. FACETS, 5(1), 899–920. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0022
22. O’Neil, J. M., Davis, T. W., Burford, M. A., & Gobler, C. J. (2012). The rise of harmful cyanobacteria blooms: The potential roles of eutrophication and climate change. Harmful Algae, 14, 313–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2011.10.027