Rare algae for Lake Superior shows up near Cornucopia

Samples of a “green scum” reported by visitors to Lake Superior beaches from Cornucopia to Sandy Bay on July 14-15 were confirmed to contain a species of blue-green algae. By July 15, the algae bloom was breaking up

Many species of blue-green algae, including those collected from Myer’s Beach, are capable of producing toxins. Toxins are not produced all of the time and there is no easy way to tell when blue-green algae are producing them and when they are not, according to water quality experts. The samples collected at Myer’s Beach July 14-15 did not contain any toxins.

...Blue-green algae blooms are extremely unusual in Lake Superior because the water is generally very low in nutrients and cold. However, the floods in June flushed nutrients and sediment from the land into the lake. Combined with the warm weather, conditions may have been just right for the algae to multiply. The species that was identified at Myers Beach has been known to “bloom” in other nutrient poor lakes under the right conditions.

Superior Telegram - www.superiortelegram.com

27 Jul 2012

Location: Cornucopia, Wisconsin, USA - View on GeoNames Map

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