Researchers are looking to predict where algal blooms will develop in the Great Lakes as global temperatures rise and make water more susceptible to harmful algae growth, the release said.
Nathan Moore, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and a climatologist for the project, said that such blooms indicate bad water quality. The algae can foul drinking water, kill large populations of fish and spoil recreational waterways.

“The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater reservoir in North America,” Moore said. “Water quality is important to everything: the economy, public health, tourism (and) agriculture. Michigan is surrounded by the lakes; they are a huge slice of life: vacations, fishing, commerce, drinking water, art (and) farming.”

MSU received the money as part of $9 million in grants the EPA awarded to universities across the U.S.

Being able to manage harmful algal blooms has been a challenging task because of the difficulty of identifying what triggers and feeds them.

The team, led by professor of zoology Jan Stevenson, will be creating models to determine where and when harmful algal blooms will appear and evaluate vulnerability of different watersheds across the state.

“Our overarching goal is to improve our ability to manage watersheds with the knowledge that higher levels of protection will be necessary without any change to land use because climate change alone will increase risks of HABs (harmful algal blooms),” Stevenson said in the release.
Social relations and policy junior Chad Duschinsky takes pride in his university by doing things such as this project to help better Michigan.

“I think it’s important because, as a university, we represent a symbol,” Duschinsky said. “As a Michigan State student, it’s nice to see we identify and support these problems because it represents myself and my school.”