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Algal bloom forecast to be moderate

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its research partners have forecast a moderate harmful algal bloom for western Lake Erie this summer.

The bloom is expected to measure 4.5 on the severity index—making it one of the smaller blooms since 2011—but could possibly range between 4 and 5.5, compared to 7.3 last year. An index above 5 indicates a more severe bloom.

Read the story.

(Photo: Marblehead lighthouse, Lake Erie, Getty Images.)

‘A victory for the Great Lakes’?

“Canada’s ouster of conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper will likely be seen by many as a victory for the Great Lakes,” writes Toledo Blade environmental writer Tom Henry in his Ripple Effects blog. Included are details from Jeff Reutter of Ohio State’s Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab programs on the changing nature of the sources of Lake Erie’s phosphorus pollution. Read the post.