EON

Culprit Is Not Nitrogen As Previously Suspected But Phosphorous

Edmonton- The culprit that is causing the large Algae bloom on Lake Winnipeg over the last 15 years has turned out to be Phosphorous, not nitrogen as was previously suspected.

Experiments that have been conducted over the last several years have determined that excessive amounts of phosphorous has caused the algae in the 10th largest body of fresh water to bloom.

Researchers from the University of Alberta have discovered that phosphorous from a variety of man made sources have contributed to the large amount of algae that has sprung up over the last several years in Lake Winnipeg.

Phosphorous is found in a wide variety of chemicals including laundry detergent, soaps and cleaners.

There is a worldwide effort to restrict and limit the amount of phosphorous that is being released into the environment, but the pass releases have caused the wild blooming of Algae that is currently found in Lake Winnipeg.

Scientists from the Canadian Freshwater Institute, the University of Alberta, and from the University of Minnesota all contributed to the research leading to the eventual culprit.

Nutrients that make their way into the environment allow algae to bloom wildly, which cause a lot of problems for navigation, fresh water supplies and fishing.