This is a new demonstration of how worrying the impact of human beings on the planet is.
Not everything that happens on the planet has to do with climate change, but rest assured that humans are responsible for many problems related to this global problem. Now, in addition, we have discovered a microorganismwhich could be part of the most resistant group of bacteria on the planet, capable of causing serious problems to the fauna and inhabitants where it appears.
A lake in Northern Ireland gives us clues to a bleak future for rivers and lakes
The image that you can see below these lines has been taken in the Lough Neagh and shows a type of bacteria known as cyanobacteria, which in appearance looks like green, sometimes bluish, algae. And in addition to its bad smell, these bacteria are responsible for release of a toxin that can affect our body, causing diarrhea, vomiting, breathing difficulties and even death.
According to information published in The Irish Newscyanotoxins can end up being spread through breathingso finding yourself near rivers and lakes that contain them is really dangerous.
Toxic blue algae on the quay. Lough Neagh. Sept 10th pic.twitter.com/YYE6SeepFy
— Danny Moore (@dannymoore_ni) September 10, 2023
Although in most cases pets or livestock are referred to, waste dumped by towns or companies is also the cause of its appearance, it seems that cyanobacteria are proliferating in recent times thanks to global warming and to the presence of CO2 in the atmosphere.
What happened recently on the lake in Northern Ireland is another example of the impact of the human being in the ecosystem and this is seriousSince the 40% of drinking water consumed in the country comes from this lake. Some treatments could eliminate the bacteria, although it is still too early to verify their real impact in this territory.
You can see the algae blooms in more detail if you look at a near-infrared composite image of the lough. The image was taken on the 4th of September. pic.twitter.com/eOcLiOZ8wa
— Peter Donaghy (@peterdonaghy) September 10, 2023
It seems that Loch Neagh temperature has risen by 1ºC compared to the data obtained 30 years ago and this benefits cyanobacteria in question, given that not only does heat drive the appearance of more shoots, but it also benefits the slow growth of other species. Don Andersona scientist in the biology department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, assures that:
Cyanobacteria are extraordinarily flexible in terms of their tolerance.
And it seems that the zebra mussels don’t help to the lake, since by consuming large quantities of algae, the water becomes clearer and the cyanobacteria have less competition to survive. The solution It seems complicated, although we will try reduce fertilizer consumption in the field and build protected areas, as has been done in some places in North Carolina. Rob Skelly takes on the problem with great resignation:
I have loved every day of my working life because I had the river. It has been part of my DNA. I never thought it would be the river that would come back and bite me.