When algae go wild, bad things can happen, especially when those algae produce toxic substances. The ripple effects can be potent and long-lasting. Examples include the so-called “dead zone” that arises periodically in the Chesapeake Bay, when decaying algal blooms suck the oxygen out of an area and threaten all plant and animal life there. Toxins produced by a 2014 algal bloom in Lake Erie polluted the water supply of Toledo, Ohio, forcing a closure of a water plant there. These harmful blooms can be deadly to water-loving dogs, cause illness in humans and wreak havoc on a region’s economy. Scientists have shown how warming temperatures contribute to an increasing number of these harmful algal blooms.
— source University of Delaware | Oct 28, 2021