Impacts of atmospheric stilling and climate warming on cyanobacterial blooms: An individual-based modelling approach

Toxic algal blooms will flourish with lower wind speeds

28 October 2022

Larger blooms of toxic algae in lakes could be one consequence of lighter winds induced by climate change.

Under the right conditions, toxic algae can proliferate remarkably, causing blooms that pose a health hazard for animals and humans. Such destructive algal blooms are expected to increase as temperatures rise due to global warming. But the effect of another consequence of global warming — lower wind speeds in certain areas — hadn’t been considered.

Now, four researchers from Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, have calculated that lighter winds will assist the formation of toxic algal blooms, causing them to grow bigger. For example, their model predicts that a 20% drop in wind speed will result in blooms that are six times larger.

These results show that the effect of climate change on wind speed needs to be included in future models of algal blooms, the researchers say.

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References

1. Water Research 221, 118814 (2022). doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118814