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Recent Changes in Cyanobacteria Algal Bloom Magnitude in Large Lakes Across the Contiguous United StatesCyanobacterial blooms in inland lakes produce large quantities of biomass that impact drinking water systems, recreation, and tourism and may produce toxins that can adversely affect public health. This study analyzed nine years of satellite-derived bloom records and compared how the bloom magnitude has changed from 2008-2011 to 2016-2020 in 1881 of the largest lakes across the contiguous United States (CONUS). We determined bloom magnitude each year as the spatio-temporal mean cyanobacteria biomass from May to October and in concentrations of chlorophyll-a. We found that bloom magnitude decreased in 465 (25%) lakes in the 2016-2020 23 period. Conversely, there was an increase in bloom magnitude in only 81 lakes (4%). Bloom magnitude either didn’t change, or the observed change was in the uncertainty range in the majority of the lakes (n=1335, 71%). Above-normal wetness and normal or below-normal maximum temperature over the warm season may have caused the decrease in bloom magnitude in the eastern part of the CONUS in recent years. On the other hand, a hotter and dryer warm season in the western CONUS may have created an environment for increased algal biomass. While more lakes saw a decrease in bloom magnitude, the pattern was not monotonic over the CONUS. The variations in temporal changes in bloom magnitude within and across climatic regions depend on the interactions between land use land cover (LULC) and physical factors such as temperature and precipitation. Despite expectations suggested by recent global studies, bloom magnitude has not increased in larger US lakes over this time period.
Document ID
20230009969
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Authors
Sachidananda Mishra
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)
Richard P. Stumpf
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)
Blake A. Schaeffer ORCID
(Environmental Protection Agency Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)
P. Jeremy Werdell
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, United States)
Date Acquired
July 6, 2023
Publication Date
July 1, 2023
Publication Information
Publication: Science of the Total Environment
Publisher: Elsevier
Volume: 97
Issue Publication Date: November 1, 2023
ISSN: 0048-9697
e-ISSN: 1879-1026
Subject Category
Earth Resources and Remote Sensing
Meteorology and Climatology
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 389018.02.10.03.68
OTHER: 14-SMDUNSOL14- 0001
OTHER: SMDSS20-0006
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Portions of document may include copyright protected material.
Technical Review
External Peer Committee
Keywords
remote sensing
satellite ocean color
cyanobacteria
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