Heatwaves are making toxic algae worse, but the real problem is what we are putting into our rivers and lakes

By Paul Leonard, Associate Professor in Biotherapeutics, Dublin City University
Marta Albin, PhD Candidate, Applied Immunology and Biotechnology, Dublin City University

This summer’s heat brought warnings about harmful algal blooms across Britain and Ireland. In August, swimmers were warned not to enter a newly designated bathing site on the River Thames at Ham and Kingston after blue-green algae were detected. The swimming section of an Ironman event in Leeds was also cancelled because of a bloom in Waterloo Lake.

It is tempting to blame these events entirely on the heat. Cyanobacteria, one of the main culprits behind these blooms, certainly benefit from warm, sunny…

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