Townsville Bulletin May 24th, 2013
UNSEASONAL rain has been blamed for a suspected algal bloom in The Lakes system with Townsville City Council urging residents to avoid contact with the water while testing was underway.
Deputy Mayor Vern Veitch said council had collected water samples from the system of lakes, either side of Woolcock St, between Hugh St and Kings Rd, to confirm if Euglena algae was present.
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Posted in Algal blooms and cyanobacteria, Water analysis - biological contamination
Tagged Algal bloom, Townsville Qld
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 7 May 2013) A new robotic sensor deployed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Gulf of Maine coastal waters may transform the way red tides or harmful algal blooms are monitored and managed in New England. The instrument was launched at the end of last month, and a second such system will be deployed later this spring.
ScienceAlert CSIRO 09 May 2013
A CSIRO team has developed a new technique for recovering phosphorus from wastewater.
Phosphorus is a precious element, with all life depending on it. It is an essential nutrient for plant growth and an important constituent of fertiliser used in agriculture.
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Posted in Algal blooms and cyanobacteria, Water analysis - biological contamination
Tagged CSIRO, Wastewater, phosphorus
ABC News 25 February 2013
High levels of blue-green algae have again been detected in Green Lake, prompting its closure for a second time this month.
The lake was reopened last week for a couple of days but water quality testing has since identified that the water poses significant health risks.
ABC News 3 December 2012
SA Health says an algae outbreak in north-western Victoria currently poses no threat to the Riverland.
The New South Wales Government issued an alert last week after identifying high counts of potentially toxic blue-green algae between Red Cliffs and Mildura.
ABC news 28 November 2012
The sea turned red because of the algae at popular Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches yesterday.
The Noctiluca algae is considered noxious because it can deplete oxygen, killing fish and may cause rashes in people with sensitive skin.
ABC News 6 November 2012
Last week the Tweed Shire Council, in the state’s north, issued its first red alert of the season for the algae. The New South Wales Opposition has raised concerns that recent cuts to the Office of Water will hinder its ability to monitor blue-green algae outbreaks.
ABC News 2 November 2012
The discovery of a potentially lethal toxin has led to an urgent recall of mussels from a Tasmanian shellfish farm.
A public health alert has been issued after routine testing found unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish toxin in mussels from Spring Bay Seafoods.
The likely cause is a naturally occurring algal bloom near Maria Island on the state’s east coast.
If so, it will be the first time in Australia this type of algae has been found to be toxic.
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Posted in Algal blooms and cyanobacteria, Food science
Tagged Food toxicity, Paralytic Shellfish toxin, seafood, Tasmania
Townsville Bulletin Emma Channon 29 October 2012
MAGNETIC Island beaches are renowned globally for their perfect conditions, but they were on the nose at the weekend.
A layer of blue-green algae washed ashore at Horseshoe Bay, bringing with it a murky colour to the water and an unpleasant smell.
Visitor Brooke Harvey-Sutton said she was reluctant to swim because of it.
“I’ve been to Maggie a lot of times and I really love it, but (on Saturday) was the first time I’d noticed a very off-putting smell,” she said.
“It was just a constant, fishy smell that came in waves and it was not pleasant at all. It sort of ruined the experience.”
The algae, known as Trichodesmium, is thought to be caused by warmer temperatures.
