WHAT’S THIS?
Algal bloom, formally known as Eutrophication, occurs when water gets more of the things it needs. In fact, it gets so much more that it does not become fat, but instead starts to house (and make space for) algae.
This occurs when farmers pour in excess fertiliser into their fields, which is eventually washed into water bodies. This causes a “population explosion” of plants, algae and phytoplankton, causing the “blue” sea to become “green”.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
You may be perplexed by the discussion of such a random topic, but this is not random at all. Algal bloom blocks access to sunlight for organisms living in the water, which prevents plants deeper down in the water body to not be able to perform photosynthesis (which is just making food from carbon dioxide, water, ATP i.e. Adenosine Triphosphate, and NADPH i.e. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate)
This has adverse consequences. Although plants can run on stored food (starch), eventually, it runs out. This leads to excess algae, phytoplankton etc. to sink, which act as a feast for bacteria. Everyone’s happy except the plants, I guess… But not for long. Bacteria use up oxygen while eating, which deprives the water body of oxygen, leading the organisms living to eventually die. This starts a chain reaction, because more organisms die, leading to more bacteria consumption, leading to death of all organisms in the water body.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
There are several measures which can be enforced in order to prevent algal blooms. Some of these are:-
- Use hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). It can help kill algae by destroying their cell walls by producing oxygen radicals in the presence of water. However, hydrogen peroxide may spread across the water, which can prove to be harmful for all life forms.
- Aeration (dissolving air in water) can help aquatic organisms breathe. However, it is quite expensive.
- Use algaecides. However, they damage the entire ecosystem.
- Ultrasonic technology can help as well. It uses sound waves at specific frequencies to damage the algae, as it can help block sunlight for the algae itself. It then dies off by sinking, without releasing any nutrient matter.
