Contents I. Harmful Algae II. What are Algal Blooms and Red Tides? III. Why do Algal Blooms occur? IV. What are the effects of Algal Blooms? V. Where and how often do Algal Blooms occur? VI. Resources I. Harmful Algae All algal species are not harmful. Only a few out of the thousands of species are associated with the phenomenon known as an algal bloom. These algae fall into two categories. The first category of harmful algae produces toxins that are
The Benefits of Algae How often also does a human use or eat algae in his daily life? When most people think of algae, they probably think of something that is slimy, gross, and dirty. Algae may irritate people because it grows in unwanted places like swimming pools and boats. Algae can be toxic and it is slimy, but algae benefits people in all aspects of life. Humans obtain algin from algae to help make ice cream, pudding, face cream, and shoe polish. Algae is present in hamburgers
Algae are wide species of unicellular and multi-cellular organisms that use make use of photosynthesis like plants. They may commonly, though not scientifically, referred to as leafless plants. Algae are present in almost all kinds of ecosystems, whether terrestrial or aquatic, and can live in extreme and harsh conditions [1]. Flue gases from power plants and industrial exhaust gases are responsible for a big chunk of global GHG emissions and contain up to 15% CO2 [2]. These gases can be used as
energy sources but let’s think about the environmental and energy benefits of algae biofuel. Algae was first explored as a fuel alternative in 1978. Gas prices had skyrocketed, and the government was looking to help ease the crisis. The Aquatic Species Program run by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, researched high oil-output algae for biofuel. After testing 3,000 types of algae, the program concluded that the algae, if...
The purpose of this project was to determine if algae would produce more energy than sunflower oil and canola oil. The hypothesis was that algae would produce more energy. The type of algae that was used for the experiment was chlorella. The project experiment involved growing algae in water which was placed under a carbon dioxide tank. The algae required a 12 hour light cycle per day to grow efficiently. Once grown, the algae was placed into a bomb calorimeter to measure the amount of heat energy
occurring in the ocean that had never been seen before. Scientists have been recently finding a new type of algae in the ocean that does not have very great effects on the environment. Many say that this alga is probably a type of algae that is similar to the ones that grew millions of years ago; this alga is toxic though. It releases terrible pungent odors that can affect health. This algae was first discovered in Australia by fisherman and is now ruining Australian fishing industries by taking over
Hawaiian algae published on the UH website, I identified the algae as of the genus Padina, however I am not quite sure which species it is. The most common species of Padina in Hawaii are the P. australis and P. japonica, and is sometimes referred to as "peacock's tail" because of its fan-like shape. Padina is a member of the class phaeophyceae, which is a class of brown algae. The peacock's tail alga is not harmful when eaten, however it can be dangerous when walking across rock, as the algae can get
Vividly colored fish dashed back and forth in the still water. A trail of ducklings followed their mother calmly atop the pond. I strained my eyes and caught a glimpse of a dark green turtle, camouflaged by the algae-laden water. It is truly awing that something as seemingly trivial as algae are being ardently pursued by research scientists across the globe today. As the world faces depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the threat of global climate change, researchers are looking into alternate energy
This experiment was used to see the effect of salt water on the algae in the freshwater tables. The effect of salt water on algae will make the algae decrease in number. The algae were used as an indicator organism to give an idea of pollution concentrations. (Colgan, 33) Salt water can cause many problems if the salt water should enter the freshwater ways. This salt water can contaminate the aquifers and drinking waters of the world. This idea is backed up in Spatafora’s saltwater intrusion paper
pristine waters of toxic algae blooms. Toxic algae blooms pose a threat to Florida’s fresh water, wildlife, and tourism industry. Thick, foul smelling algae blooms can grow large enough to blanket a body of water. They are caused by bacteria from chemicals in runoff water that usually spill into the lakes and rivers during periods of heavy rain. A major factor that causes algae blooms is high concentrations of nitrogen in the water (Li et al., 2016). Pollutants, such as
Introduction Red Tide, commonly labeled as Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), is a natural phenomenon that is caused by an explosion of algae in coastal waters. The algae are single celled protists; plant-like organisms. Because the algae reproduce expeditiously, they manage to alter the color of coastal oceans. However, the name "Red Tide" is a misnomer; many times, the ocean can be multiple colors, ranging from green to blue to yellow. Overall, Red Tide has many negative effects on the environment as
which causes a dense growth of plant life. Eutrophication arises from the oversupply of nutrients, which induces explosive growth of plants and algae which, when such organisms die, they consume the oxygen in the body of water, thereby creating the state of hypoxia (deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues) Mechanism of Eutrophication When algae die, they decompose and the nutrients contained in that organic matter are converted into inorganic form by microorganisms. This decomposition
Toxic Algae bloom Name: Faisal Hussain Student number: 500635004 Course code: ENH 617 Institution: Ryerson University Submission Date: 16th November 2015 Word Count: 537 Toxic Algae bloom Freshwater and marine destructive algal blooms also called harmful algal bloom or HABs, can transpire anytime, and use of water is impaired due to the accumulation of excessive harmful algae. HAB instance is influenced by an intricate set of chemical, physical, hydrological, biological, and meteorological
From looking at coral reefs no two look the same. They remind me of a tiny forest. Coral reefs provide habitat and shelter for many animals living underwater. Fish also eat the algae from the coral. Coral bleaching happens when changes in conditions happen. Water temperature rising is one condition .This causes the algae on the coral to leave and because of this the reefs turn white. Many different factors,like global
My Aquarium The place I decided to do my paper on is located in the living room of my family’s house. It is a one hundred gallon aquarium. The reason I chose this as the topic of my paper is that all kingdoms are present except for Plantae in it and it is its own ecosystem. Before I go in detail about the organisms in the aquarium, I would like to mention the accessories that make this aquarium a stable environment and allow the organisms to grow happily. The temperature needs to mimic
In the following study, rock pools from the upper and lower shore of Bracelet Bay, were examined and the organisms within noted. The contents of the two pools were compared. The abiotic variations of the pools were recorded and examined in an attempt to understand why the contents of the pools differed. A greater abundance and variety of organisms was present in the lower shore rock pool, this was due to the lower rock pool being a more benign environment than that of the upper shore. This was
certain red algae, and mollusks. Coral reefs are tropical, forming only where surface waters are never cooler than 20° C (68° F). The only difference between a barrier reef and a coral reef is that a barrier reef occurs farther offshore, with a channel or lagoon between it and the shore. The outer layer of a reef consists of living animals, or polyps, of coral. Single-celled algae called zooxanthellae live within the coral polyps, and a skeleton containing filamentous green algae surrounds them
Phosphates are present in many natural waters, such as lakes and streams. Phosphates are essential to aquatic plant growth, but too much phosphate can lead to the growth of algae and results in an algae bloom. Too much algae can cause a decrease in the amount in dissolved oxygen in the water. Oxygen in water is affected in many different ways by phosphates Phosphorus is usually present in natural waters as phosphate(Mcwelsh and Raintree, 1998). Phosphates are present in fertilizers and laundry detergents
Introduction Fossil records indicate life has existed on this planet for at least 3.8 billion years. Most species that have ever existed are now extinct, yet the diversity of life on Earth is still so tremendous and complex scientists estimate there are 10-100 million species yet to be documented. Those that have been documented, have been categorized it into three domains, six kingdoms, twenty-nine phyla, and countless more subdivisions. Seemingly in spite of this diversity, a common ancestry unites
nutrients. Due mainly to runoff of fertilizers and sewage, unnatural amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus are introduced to the reef environment. This spike in nutrient levels causes a severe increase in the populations of algae and phytoplankton, commonly referred to as an “algae bloom.” While an increase in these photosynthetic organisms might sound beneficial, the result is actually catastrophic. The massive algal colony consumes the oxygen dissolved in the water, leading to hypoxic conditions,