Did Ja Know?
April 2009
by Sea Grant Staff
Dr. Robert Hecky, a professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth Large Lakes Observatory and a newly funded Sea Grant researcher, coauthored a research article that Discover Magazine reported as one of the top science stories of 2008. The lauded research dealt with how the plant nutrients phosphorous and nitrogen can lead to algal blooms and dead zones in lakes. The main message is that the amount of phosphorous entering a lake dictates algae abundance while the amount of nitrogen influences algal species composition. Blue-green algae, responsible for most harmful algae blooms, acquire their nitrogen from the air.
