Climate change is likely hampering recovery efforts

Carnegie Institution for Science

Ho, Michalak, and Pahlevan?s study of algal blooms in lakes over a 30-year period found that Florida?s Lake Okeechobee deteriorated. Toxic algal blooms resulted in states of emergency being declared in Florida in 2016 and 2018. Credit NASA Earth Observatory image made by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Washington, DC? The intensity of summer algal blooms has increased over the past three decades, according to a first-ever global survey of dozens of large, freshwater lakes, which was conducted by Carnegie?s Jeff Ho and Anna Michalak and NASA?s Nima Pahlevan and published by Nature.

Reports of harmful algal blooms?like the ones that shut down Toledo?s water supply in 2014 or led to states of emergency being declared in Florida in 2016 and 2018?are growing. These aquatic phenomena are harmful either because of the intensity…