Environment & Ecology
Context: A new report by the European Union (EU), has confirmed that the ecological disaster that killed hundreds of tonnes of fish in the Oder river in 2022 was caused by toxic algal bloom .
About River Oder:
- Oder River, is a river in east-central Europe.
- It is one of the most significant rivers in the catchment basin of the Baltic Sea, second only to the Vistula in discharge and length.
- It is Poland’s second-longest river.
- The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming the border between Poland and Germany.
About Algal Blooms:
- An algal bloom is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system. These are also called ‘red tides
- They may occur in freshwater as well as marine environments.
- Algal Blooms deprive aquatic organisms of Sunlight and oxygen and negatively impact a variety of species that live below the water surface.
- Harmful Algal Blooms( HABs)- colonies of algae that grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds.
- Algal blooms in freshwater lakes and reservoirs are most commonly caused by blue-green algae (also known as cyanobacteria) whose growth is supported by Eutrophication (nutrient enrichment).
- Another type of bloom that occurs nearly every summer along Florida’s Gulf Coast is caused by a species of dinoflagellate known as Karenia brevis.
- Algal Bloom Information Service: ABIS provides timely information on harmful algal blooms, which are detrimental to coastal fisheries, and water quality and also tend to induce respiratory problems within the coastal population from time to time.
- ISRO’s Oceansat-2 satellite launched in 2009 can cover larger areas and provide global ocean color.
SOURCE: The Hindu
Previous Year Questions
Q.1) Which one of the lakes West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert?(2022)
- Lake Victoria
- Lake Faguibine
- Lake Oguta
- Lake Volta
Q.2) Consider the following kinds of organisms: ( 2021)
- Copepod
- Cyanobacteria
- Diatoms
- Foraminifera
Which of the above are primary producers in the food chains of oceans?
- 1 and 2
- 2 and 3
- 3 and 4
- 1 and 4
