Harmful algal blooms and water quality
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 - 03:30
in Health & Medicine
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur naturally, but their outbreaks are influenced by climate change and droughts, nutrient enrichment and manmade factors, such as contaminants from sewage and stormwater discharge, natural resource extraction or agricultural runoff, to name a few. When an outbreak occurs, it causes restrictions on fisheries, recreation and drinking water, and it can have significant economic consequences. In developed countries, HABs cause more severe acute environmental impacts than conventional contaminant events, yet water quality criteria for aquatic life or human health often do not exist.