What is it

Cyanobacteria can form blooms in freshwaters, marine and brackish waters. They are especially prolific in calm water bodies such as lakes, ponds, weirs and reservoirs, or slow-flowing rivers, due to ideal growth conditions because of the long residence times of the water. These blooms can cause serious problems for the environment, water quality and public health. They increase turbidity, reducing sunlight and visibility, and smother submerged aquatic vegetation and phytoplankton. Oxygen depletion from microbial degradation of the blooms may induce hypoxia and anoxia, causing the death of fish and other animals, such as benthic invertebrates. In addition, some cyanobacterial blooms, the so-called cyano-harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) produce toxins such as neurotoxins (anatoxin-a), hepatoxins (microcystins) and cytotoxins (cylindrospermospin). These toxins can induce serious diseases such as gastrointestinal disorders, dermatitis, liver failure and even mortality in animals and humans.