Let’s Talk About Algae!

I was doing my NJSLA state exam today and learned a lot about algae while taking the exam! So I thought, why not bring this up!

Algae is a type of plant which plays an important role in the ocean food cycle. Fish rely on algae for food. Algae is also used as an alternative to fossil fuels! Algae could be converted into liquid fuel which is just like crude oil but more sustainable!

But, did you know that algae are also harmful to the environment! Algae blooms have dangerous cyanobacteria which could contaminate waters harming humans and animals. These blooms also release toxic gases which could harm the environment. Algae’s main weakness is cold climates. During the winter, the cold climate could kill all of the algae. But the main reason why algae blooms are becoming common is because of the use of fertilizer. Warm waters and the use of fertilizers are attracting all of the algae and this is how it is being caused. More than 30 lakes now have danger signs in California. Many people are not getting access to clean drinking water because of these algae blooms. So these are some of the issues being caused just because of algae!

Let’s stop the use of fertilizers to stop attracting so many algae to make our beloved earth a better place to live for our future generations to come.

Author: Sri Nihal Tammana