{"id":851,"date":"2022-06-15T19:21:41","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T19:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ml-gis-service.com\/?p=851"},"modified":"2022-06-15T19:21:42","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T19:21:42","slug":"spatial-epidemiology-baltic-sea-and-algal-blooms-how-to-get-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ml-gis-service.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/15\/spatial-epidemiology-baltic-sea-and-algal-blooms-how-to-get-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Spatial Epidemiology: Baltic Sea and Algal Blooms – how to get data?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Heat wave just arrived. We stay in a shadow, but it doesn\u2019t protect us from the sweating, even here is 30 degrees C (90 F). Fortunately for us, there is a cold breeze from the sea. We know that soon we will jump into a cold water and hide beneath the waves from the scorching sun. But something is wrong. We arrive to the beach, and we see that there are red flags, all along sea line. We\u2019ve checked weather forecast and we know, that those flags aren\u2019t indicating upcoming storm. Baltic Sea is free from sharks and jellyfishes. So what\u2019s going on? After a while we start to smell the problem. It is an algal bloom that has covered water in a rotten, green and sticky layer. This day is not our day and we probably won\u2019t be able to swim…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Algal Bloom brings death<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You should be happy if you have never heard of harmful algal blooms. This is a recurring disaster for societies that live along the coast or near big lakes. A relationship between agricultural fertilizers and climate change leads to the event known as the harmful algal blooms [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the consequences of HABs?<\/p>\n\n\n

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Four reasons why Algal Blooms are a disaster.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
  1. Death of a water fauna<\/strong>. The algal layer sucks a lot of oxygen from water and other organisms die or suffer from hypoxia.<\/li>
  2. If fishes or shellfishes die in a great number, then the fishery industry <\/strong>will be not profitable.<\/li>
  3. Toxic or just smelly water doesn\u2019t help when our business is based on tourists<\/strong> that want to take advantage of the sea\u2026<\/li>
  4. And the last but not least, toxins <\/strong>from algal blooms are deathly. Some of them are the strongest toxins in the world. Moreover, those toxins tend to deposit in the bodies of sea animals that we eat. This way, we can eat a large amount of poison, which wouldn\u2019t be possible if we just accidentally take a sip of contaminated water.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s take a closer look into organisms and their toxins that are common in our seas and lakes [2; 3]:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Organism<\/td>Water Type<\/td>Bloom color<\/td>Toxin<\/td>Damaged tissues<\/td>Health effects<\/td><\/tr>
    Alexandrium sp.<\/em><\/td>Salt<\/td>Red \/ Brown<\/td>Saxitoxins – one of the strongest toxins in nature [4]<\/td>Nerves and muscles<\/td>Paralytic shellfish poisoning, paralysis, death, respiratory system failure<\/td><\/tr>
    Karenia Brevis<\/em><\/td>Salt<\/td>Red<\/td>Brevetoxins<\/td>Nerves and muscles<\/td>Gastrointestinal illness, muscle cramps, paralysis, respiratory problems<\/td><\/tr>
    Pseudo-nitzschia<\/em><\/td>Salt<\/td>Red \/ Brown<\/td>Domoic acid<\/td>Nervous system<\/td>Initial phase: gastrointestinal illness. Developed stage: long-lasting or permanent short-term memory loss (amnesia), confusion, seizures, and in rare cases death<\/td><\/tr>
    Microcystis<\/em><\/td>Fresh<\/td>Blue \/ Green<\/td>Microcystin<\/td>Liver<\/td>Liver damage<\/td><\/tr>
    Nodularia<\/em><\/td>Salt<\/td>Blue \/ Green<\/td>Nodularin<\/td>Liver<\/td>Liver damage, carcinogenic agent [5]<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
    Algae and their toxins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The irony is that the algae (cyanobacteria) are everywhere, in each type of water. Algal blooms are a worldwide issue. There is a chance that a big lake or sea that you have seen is a place where blooms occur. Moreover, they are one of the oldest organisms on Earth, we found their fossils dated 3.5 billion years back [6]. Under normal circumstances, algae are not harmful at all. But we suspect that overnutrition with agricultural fertilizers and climate change lead to the overgrowth of algae [7].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Algal Blooms Analytics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Is it easy to obtain data for Algal Bloom analytics? Luckily for us, yes, it is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s easier than you think and there are multiple ways to do it, even without stepping out outside! We will go through an example from Gdansk Bay on the Baltic Sea but the same steps may be repeated for other water reservoirs. A great source of information about local disasters is the local news portal. For Gdansk Bay area it is Tr\u00f3jmiasto.pl (eng.: Tr\u00f3jmiasto = Tricity => Gdansk + Sopot + Gdynia). Let\u2019s take a look at how many times per year the phrase sinice<\/code> (eng.: algae) has appeared in articles. Every news portal has a past articles browser [A], and we can take advantage of it! Here are the results of a search:<\/p>\n\n\n\n