The first blue-green algae have already appeared in the Oberuckersee in the Uckermark Photo: dpa picture alliance
From BZ/dpa
They can cause skin irritation and nausea and make bathing in lakes and rivers difficult: blue-green algae are a type of cyanobacteria that shimmer green-blue and are formed by too many nutrients in the water and high water temperatures.
An increased occurrence is to be expected in the summer months. The result is bathing bans from the health authorities in certain areas. According to the State Environment Agency, some types of cyanobacteria can form highly toxic toxins.
At some bathing spots in Brandenburg, bathers and swimmers have already had to beware of the harmful blue-green algae. According to the authorities, they appeared at a bathing area on Oberuckersee in the Uckermark and in a section of the Spremberg dam in the Spree-Neiße district. In both cases the all-clear has already been given.
The State Office for the Environment is currently observing that the so-called algal bloom is developing earlier as a result of above-average spring temperatures. Good light conditions and the high rates of redissolution of phosphates as one of the important nutrients at high temperatures are beneficial for the rapid growth of cyanobacteria in summer, explained Thomas Frey, a consultant at the State Office for the Environment (LfU). Sometimes the mass development repeats itself several times a year – a sign of excessive nutrient loads. For the classification of the water quality, the cyanobacteria would have less significance than other organisms.
Brandenburg
The Ministry of Health currently has good news about the quality of the water in the Brandenburg lakes. “The current microbiological bathing water quality is currently excellent to good,” explained ministry spokesman Gabriel Hesse. However, he pointed out that the results of the bathing water investigations are always snapshots.
According to the Ministry of Health, 254 bathing waters were designated for this bathing season in Brandenburg – determined by the health departments of the districts and independent cities. During the bathing season, these are monitored at least once a month.
The ability of the blue-green algae to carry out photosynthesis is exciting for the LfU speaker Frey. According to him, they appear not only in blue/blue-green but in other color variants such as violet, green, red or brown.
