While many folks are taking advantage of the late summer weather to recreate and enjoy early glimpses of the emerging fall foliage, a local scientist points out that these same conditions are ideal for harmful algal blooms in bodies of water across the state.

HABs refer to “visible patches of cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae,” according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s website.

“Cyanobacteria are naturally present in low numbers in most aquatic systems. Under certain conditions, including adequate nutrient availability, warm temperatures and calm winds, cyanobacteria may multiply rapidly and form blooms that are visible on the surface of the affected waterbody,” the website explains.

Brendan Wiltse, executive director of the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute, explained that September marks the beginning of HAB season, which can last into the beginning of November for the region. The AWI provides several example photos of HABs from across the Adirondacks, as well as look-a-likes, so people know what to look for when they are on or around water. Those can be found at https://tinyurl.com/mrd7kj6a.

If a harmful algal bloom was seen on Mirror Lake in the village of Lake Placid, people would see this sign along the shore with a warning. (Provided photo)

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Staying safe

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Protecting oneself from the bloom is paramount, but fairly straightforward, Wiltse explained.

“The biggest thing that folks should do is avoid coming into physical contact with any suspicious algae bloom they see. If toxins are produced, which is often but not always the case, they can persist in the environment for some time after the bloom has dissipated. Again, the DEC tests for this and that’s why it’s important to report,” he said.

“But, the general recommendation is just to avoid contact with the bloom itself. If you know that the algae bloom was occurring in a spot fairly densely, you might want to wait and give it an extra day after it clears to avoid swimming or letting your pets swim,” Wiltse explained.

If people do accidentally come in contact with a HAB, Wiltse said the best thing to do is cleanse your skin.

“If people do come into contact, they should wash themselves with soap and water. A shower would accomplish that, he said.

When it comes to monitoring symptoms, Wiltse said to watch the skin.

“In terms of the symptoms in humans, the most likely symptom would be perhaps skin irritation or rash in the area that was exposed to the toxins,” he added.

Wiltse said that dogs often have worse experiences than humans after coming in contact with HABs.

“Dogs would be particularly susceptible to toxin exposure because if they swim through a bloom, it will get caught up in their fur and remain there for an extended period of time. They might then attempt to lick themselves dry, directly ingesting the cyanobacteria,” he said.

Wiltse said pet owners should not panic.

“Just being mindful of any changes in your dog’s behavior. If you know that it swam in a bloom, monitor it for the next couple of days after the exposure,” he said.

If pets do begin to show signs of distress, contact your veterinary office and explain that the animal was likely came into contact with a HAB while swimming.

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Planning a response

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The Mirror Lake Watershed Association is a volunteer nonprofit organization. They seek to “protect, educate, and advocate for Mirror Lake and its surrounding watershed by monitoring and improving the water quality, preserving and enhancing its ecological health and natural beauty, and raising and encouraging public awareness about the importance of mitigating environmental threats to the watershed.” They developed a response plan for when HABs occur on Mirror Lake in the village of Lake Placid, one of the busiest in the area for swimming and paddling.

The MLWA’s response plan, among other measures, states that members of the organization will place warning signs around popular lake access points once the HAB is confirmed, and alert boat rentals and hotels in the village. The plan can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/4y89ztt4.

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Getting the word out

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Wiltse said the DEC maintains a database throughout the state on HABs. While it takes a day or two for the DEC to confirm a report and upload the information, Wiltse was clear that this is the best resource for the public to stay alert and informed on HABs.

The database includes an interactive map, where people can see search across the state for the latest reports. A reporting form can also be accessed. Wiltse emphasized the importance of reporting HABs.

“That data is really important for us. We use it as we’re tracking where these blooms have occurred, in what water bodies, and that helps us to understand what is potentially driving the formation of these blooms,” he said.

If someone is unsure if what they are seeing is a HAB, Wiltse said that it is better to be safe and err on the side of reporting it.

“Even if folks are not completely sure if it’s a HAB or not, the form is there for folks to report anything they see as suspicious, and the DEC will investigate and confirm whether or not it is a HAB,” he said.

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DEC confirms HABs

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The DEC confirmed a localized HAB on the north shore of Upper Saranac Lake on Sept. 11, according to their website. This was preceded by another localized HAB confirmation less than half of a mile to the east along the lake’s shore on Sept. 4. Both were reported by members of the public, according to the DEC’s website.

An additional localized HAB was reported along Lake Clear’s northwestern shore on Sept. 13 by a member of the public and subsequently confirmed by the DEC. It was the lake’s fifth reported and confirmed HAB of the season, with the other four occurring in mid-August, according to the DEC’s website.

Two separate confirmed localized HABs were reported by members of the public on Lower St. Regis Lake on Sept. 3. Four other confirmed HABs, all localized, were reported on Barnum Pond throughout August, according to the DEC.

No other bodies of water throughout the Tri-Lakes region have had HABs reported yet this year, according to the DEC’s interactive map, though several reports made by the public this week throughout the region have yet to be confirmed by the DEC, and the season is just getting underway, according to Wiltse.

The DEC’s map, which provides the most up-to-date HAB information across New York, can be found at https://tinyurl.com/bdfvzd6x.

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Like clockwork

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“We usually see them here in the Adirondacks in the fall time period. September is one of the busiest months, and October as well. Within those two months, when we have very warm, sunny and calm conditions is typically when we see blooms occur,” Wiltse said.

He explained why the autumn months are conducive for HABs.

“What we believe is occurring on most lakes in the park that have these blooms is that this time of year, our lakes are starting to mix and turnover. In the summer months, they’re thermally stratified. That is to say, there’s warm water on top and cold on the bottom,” he said.

“Throughout the summer, that cold bottom water loses oxygen. It can happen naturally but also from things that humans are doing, such as adding nutrients to our lakes through runoff stormwater, which can pick up (nitrogen and phosphorous-rich) fertilizers, for example.”

He noted that this is a more significant problem in watersheds near areas of intensive agriculture, such as the Mississippi River. While agriculture is not dominant throughout the Adirondacks, lawn fertilizers from properties around lakes can still cause the same issue, as they contain concentrated amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous.

“If we lose oxygen in the bottom waters of our lakes, then nutrients that are normally retained within the lake sentiments get released into the water above because of a shift in chemistry. Then, when the lake turns over in the fall, that stratification goes away and we see those nutrient-rich bottom waters are getting brought up to the surface,” he said.

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Completing the set-up

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Once circulating up to the surface, those nutrients serve as an energy source for the cyanobacteria. Nutrients, however, are just one piece of the puzzle.

“They’re photosynthetic organisms (requiring sunlight in conjunction with the nutrients to grow), so when we have these warm sunny calm conditions sort of giving them the conditions that they do best to grow, they really proliferate and accumulate at the surface of our lakes. We’ve seen significant warming in our climate in September, and that may be increasing the likelihood that we have blooms form this time of year,” he said.

Seth Kutikoff, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Burlington office, explained that a strong area of high pressure over the region was responsible for the sun and warm temperatures that came close to record highs in the region.

“The ridge (of high pressure) is more or less right on top of us. Then, the winds around the ridge have also been out of the south (where it is warmer) for the area, helping to get us on the warmer side this week,” he said.

While helping the temperatures climb, the southerly breeze this week has not been particularly strong, at least near lower elevations where the region’s lakes primarily exist. The majority of hourly wind observations from the Adirondack Regional Airport, in Lake Clear, between 2 p.m. Saturday and Monday have been reported as “calm,” with none of the observations during that time period in excess of 8 mph.

In addition to the sun and warmth, the lack of a strong breeze over water is important for HABs to grow.

“They need sunlight and warmer conditions, but the calm conditions allow them to accumulate at the surface. If it’s windy and the water surface is choppy and getting mixed by the wind, that’s going to keep them mixed (at less concentrated and therefore safer levels) and suspended throughout the water column, rather than accumulating,” Wiltse said.

He noted that there are large variances in how long it takes blooms to form and how long they last.

“If conditions stray away from that warm, sunny, and/or calm state, the bloom usually dissipates within a day. However, if we have weather like we’re experiencing now of several days in a row of warm, sunny and calm conditions, the blooms can grow and persist throughout that entire period,” he said.

Wiltse said he expects the rest of this week to be active for HABs throughout the region. He noted that he observed a bloom over the past weekend on Lower Saranac Lake that had been pushed by a slight breeze and began collecting along the lake’s northwestern shore, which he documented.

“That was on Saturday morning. It was pretty much lakewide, and then accumulating along the shorelines where there was a subtle breeze pushing it in one direction which is where that photo was taken. It was reported to the DEC. They can take one or two business days to confirm those reports,” he said.

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Here, there, everywhere

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While human activity can contribute to the blooms, Wiltse said HABs are not limited to bodies of water surrounded by human development. Although certain hot spots have shown repeated activity over the years, HABs crop up sporadically in a wide variety of waterbodies, according to Wiltse.

“They seem to happen in a lot of different lake types throughout the Adirondacks. Upper Saranac Lake has consistently had blooms over the last several years on the north end of the lake. We’ve also seen Lower Saranac Lake have blooms on it somewhat consistently over the past few years. Mirror Lake has had a few over the years, but it’s not particularly consistent. Lake Placid had one reported HAB a couple of years ago,” he said.

“But, we also see small ponds that are surrounded by primarily Forest Preserve land (and therefore not impacted by runoff from human activities) like Whey Pond and Copperas Pond have blooms on them,” Wiltse added.

More information on HABs from the DEC’s website can be found at https://tinyurl.com/49r4kd7u or by emailing HABsInfo@dec.ny.gov.