And yeah... Even #Maine isn't immune.
Increasingly early ice-outs on Maine waters open up new environmental problems, experts say
As Maine wraps up one of its warmest winters in recorded history, lakes and ponds across the state are seeing ice-outs earlier than ever. Experts say that's affecting everything from #algae to moose.
by Dylan Tusinski
March 15, 2024
"Earlier ice-outs have severe impacts on everything from algae blooms and trout populations to moose calves and snowmobilers, according to Mark Latti, communications director for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
"One of the most serious symptoms of early ice-outs is the increased frequency and intensity of algae blooms in recent years, according to Whitney King, an environmental chemist and professor at Colby College in Waterville.
"Blooms in recent years have been more severe and widespread, King said. Though algae blooms are a natural occurrence in the spring and summer, they can be toxic for humans and animals, damaging to natural ecosystems, and near-impossible to get rid of.
"Algae blooms’ size and toxicity are often worsened by bright sunlight, warm waters and intense storms, King said. This means that earlier ice-outs are causing earlier and more severe algae blooms, he said.
"'Across the state, we’re seeing an interesting ecological feedback cycle where the physics of the climate control when the open water period starts and ends,' he said. 'If you have shorter ice-in periods, you have longer open water periods, and these longer open water periods are allowing increased growth rates in our lakes — more plankton and less oxygen.
"'Basically, our lakes have a longer growing season and that is not always an ecologically good thing.'"
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/03/15/increasingly-early-ice-outs-affecting-more-than-maines-lakes-and-rivers-experts-say/
#Maine #HABs #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms #Extinction #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife #WaterTemperatures
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