Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms: Biological Traits, Mechanisms, Risks, and Control Strategies

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (CyanoHABs) impact lakes, estuaries, and freshwater reservoirs worldwide. The duration, severity, and spread of CyanoHABs have markedly increased over the past decades and will likely continue to increase. This article addresses the universal phenomena of cyanobacterial blooms occurring in many freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Based on analysis of ecophysiological traits of bloom-forming cyanobacteria and their interactions with environmental processes, we summarize and decipher the driving forces leading to the initiation, outbreak, and persistence of the blooms. Due to the coupling effects of eutrophication, rising CO2 levels and global warming, a multidisciplinary joint research approach is critical for better understanding the CyanoHAB phenomenon and its prediction, remediation, and prevention. There is an urgent need to evaluate and guide proper use of bloom control techniques at large scales, using science-based and environmentally friendly approaches.