Artificial light pollution could fuel growth of toxic algal blooms

Communities around the world trying to manage blooms of toxic algae and cyanobacteria already know they have to control nutrient pollution. But now it seems they may have another factor to worry about: too much artificial light.

“You have light pollution in urbanised areas where you may also have a nutrient pollution problem,” says Hans-Peter Grossart at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Germany. “It could be that the combination of both favours cyanobacteria blooms.”