Algal Blooms - Office of the Environmental Monitor

Algal Blooms Monitoring Program



Algae are simple aquatic plants that, like all plants, convert light and nutrients into growth through photosynthesis.

An algal bloom is the result of a rapid increase in the amount of algae in the water, sometimes visible as cloudy water or slicks on the water’s surface (as can occur in a fish tank when too much food turns the water green).

Algal Blooms can occur naturally in healthy waters and have been recorded in all areas Port Phillip Bay since monitoring began more than 20 years ago. Blooms can also occur as a result of changes in environmental conditions.


Photo: Noctiluca algal bloom. Courtesy of EPA Victoria.

Algal blooms can affect nearby animals such as fish, as dead algae are digested by bacteria, which use up the dissolved oxygen that animals need to survive. Some species of algae produce toxins that can be taken up into the food chain.

The Algal Bloom Monitoring Program’s objective is to detect changes in the occurrence of algal blooms outside expected variability.

Conducted by EPA Victoria the program will collate and analyse data collected through the Baywide Water Quality and Nutrient Cycling Monitoring Programs. These include data on the amount and types of algae collected monthly at 11 sites across the Bay, as well as continuously monitored algal abundance at four locations.

For more information on the Algal Bloom Monitoring Program please download the fact sheet.

Results



Year
Quarterly report for period ending:
2008
March
June
September
December
2009
2010
2011


To view information and results from other programs that monitor Bay water quality click on the links below.
Water Quality Monitoring Program
Beach Monitoring Program
Turbidity Monitoring Program
Plume Intensity & Extent Monitoring Program
Nutrient Cycling Monitoring Program
Water Quality in Port Phillip & Westernport Catchment Monitoring Program
Bacterial Contamination in the Yarra River Monitoring Program

Return to a list of all monitoring programs


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