According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) bulletin report issued November 7th, this year’s harmful algal bloom (HAB) reached a severity index (SI) of 8, categorizing the bloom as severe. This SI is roughly the same severity as the 2013 bloom, which was considered the third worst bloom observed in the past century. During the week of September 20th, 2017, the bloom covered 1000 square miles from Toledo to Ontario. The bloom severity is attributed to the heavy rains in May and late June of this year leading to increased bioavailable phosphorus runoff mainly from farm fields. Read the bulletin here.
Find out more on how the ag industry is addressing the bloom.
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