Water Wheel July/August 2022: Eutrophication

Abstract

EUTROPHICATION The CyanoLakes mobile app: Weather-like information for lakes from satellite imagery Cyanobacteria blooms and associated eutrophication in the world’s lakes represent an increasing threat to safe water supply, recreational water users and ecosystems, and are worsening with climate warming. Cyanobacteria produce harmful toxins (cyanotoxins) associated with chronic diseases such as liver cancer, and acute poisonings of animals and rarely humans. Cyanobacteria are often the primary cause of nuisance taste and odor problems in drinking water. There is an immediate need for up-to-date information to protect public health and enable water companies, lake user associations and water professionals to respond to problem blooms in a timely manner with necessary interventions. The CyanoLakes mobile app (‘Your Weather App for Lakes’) provides up-to-date weather-like information on cyanobacteria and algal blooms in the world’s lakes from satellite imagery. The technology was funded by the South African Water Research Commission (WRC Project No.

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