Question

There is an algal bloom in a lake in a populated area. As the leading scientist for the water department, what is the most important thing to do, based on scientific evidence about such blooms?

Answer 1

It is important to detect and characterize first the algal species by obtaining water samples from the lake. This is a critical and very important step for prevention, control and mitigation of algal blooms. There a number of methods for this such us microscopic methods, molecular probes and remote sensing techniques.