Steve Carpenter: Stay Focused on Phosphorus

Center for Limnology:

These severe blooms amplify the urgency behind a statement issued today by Canadian and American scientists, myself included, for governments around the world to focus on a proven solution — that is, we must control phosphorus to decrease the intensity and frequency of harmful algal blooms. A mid-October algae (or phytoplankton) bloom shows up on the Lake Mendota shoreline. A mid-October algae (or phytoplankton) bloom shows up on the Lake Mendota shorelines...

Phosphorus inputs to lakes and reservoirs, which come from agricultural and urban runoff, are the main driver of blooms, and that phosphorus reduction is the key to improving water quality. Some government agencies, however, have lost sight of this basic fact of lake management.