Is Nitrogen Another Concern For Lake Erie?

Phosphorus: It’s what most people think about when conversations turn to harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Erie. However, it’s not necessarily the only nutrient influencing algal growth in the lake. A new Ohio Sea Grant-funded research project at Kent State University is investigating the role nitrogen plays in supporting the growth of cyanobacteria—more commonly called blue-green algae and a frequent culprit in HAB events.

Dr. Darren Bade, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Kent State, will examine the effects of nitrogen, a common nutrient found in fertilizers as well as animal waste, on the growth of cyanobacteria. “Because of our focus on phosphorus, we’ve been left with not a whole lot of knowledge about how nitrogen influences the lakes in terms of the growth of algae,” explains Bade, who also teaches classes at Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory in the summer. “So perhaps we could also benefit from trying to reduce nitrogen runoff into the lake, but we don’t really know enough about how the lake will respond to a change in nitrogen.”