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Originally Posted by secondcurve
Is there a bloom or is this a false alarm?
Thanks
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I checked again today. The water was so roiled by huge wakes pulling soil from the shoreline, I could only see into about one foot of depth, but the Gloeotrichia was still present.
The article mentions that Gloeotrichia is a seasonal occurrence, but I've associated the bloom with September, and we're not through half of August.
Neurotoxins associated with these blue-green algae can gradually affect humans' nervous system later in life.
Although my personal affliction of
peripheral-neuropathy is a mild one, some suffer gravely.
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. I see it as "A Perfect Storm".
1) Last season's heavy rains have washed countless (and distant) green lawns' fertilizers into the greater Winnipesaukee Basin.
2) Recent Lake Kanasatka's obvious blooms "seeded" the Big Lake last season.
(Apply "Occam's Razor" to their problem nearby).
3) No recent breezes to dilute blooms, so hot surface waters are quietly "cooking the broth".
4) The lake's level has been kept artificially high, causing waves (but especially wakes) to reach deeper into the sub-soils which have sequestered tons of phosphorus and nitrogen.
5) Pine-tree pollen, which slows the normal mixing and dilution of Spring's lakefront waters is occurring presently--warming surface waters.
6) A hot seasonal weather pattern which encourages biological growth is upon us and likely to put a synergistic action into this mess.
7) This is not to mention the sandbar problem.
On this rainy day, I reorganized the file cabinet. In my "Environment" file, I stumbled across a Swiss study that found prescription statins in their ground water. Switzerland doesn't manufacture statins, and the study is 20 years old!
8) In former years, snow on thick ice cover kept our waters from "solar gain".
This past winter scarcely rated an "Ice-In".
9) Phosphorus is one of many chemicals that are used in fireworks' aerial displays.
https://www.thoughtco.com/elements-in-fireworks-607342
I'd shelve that concern for now, as a huge number of northern-tier lakes can be affected by this byproduct.
Injuries are bad enough, so restrictions on excessive recreational fireworks need to be studied.
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ETA:
With this Memorial Day Weekend's very high waters and huge wakes, I noticed I couldn't see my feet even ten feet from shore! These abusive wakes were seriously eroding the banks of Lake Winnipesaukee...!
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