You may notice a green, red or brown film on your favorite boating or swimming area in the summer. This coloring could mean that the water is affected by harmful algal blooms. USGS scientists Dr. Barry Rosen, Dr. Jennifer Graham and Dr.
Great Lakes Water Quality
Near-real time water-quality conditions during local beach season
The U.S. Geological Survey is collaborating with State and local partners to develop models that provide real-time estimates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) (for pathogens) and (or) microcystin (for freshwater cyanotoxins) levels at Great Lakes beaches and drinking-water intakes.
Near real-time water quality conditions in Lake Erie are available during local beach season via Great Lakes NowCast.
Related Science
NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
Are Naturally Occurring Algal Toxins in Water Resources a Health Hazard?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
Datasets and Apps
Lake Erie NowCast Map App (operates during local beach season)
Nowcast Beach Status
Nowcast predicts water quality conditions at select beach swimming areas in the Great Lakes. Nowcast estimates conditions by merging environment and climate data with variables measured at a beach by 8 AM each morning and entering them into a computer program which provides a probability from 1 to 100 as to whether or not the beach has exceeded the bathing-water standard of 235 units of E. coli.
Multimedia
You may notice a green, red or brown film on your favorite boating or swimming area in the summer. This coloring could mean that the water is affected by harmful algal blooms. USGS scientists Dr. Barry Rosen, Dr. Jennifer Graham and Dr.
Related USGS Publications
Real-time assessments of water quality—A nowcast for Escherichia coli and cyanobacterial toxins
The "H," "A," and "B" of a HAB: A definitional framework
Detecting algal toxins and organic contaminants of concern in the environment
Cyanotoxin mixture models: Relating environmental variables and toxin co-occurrence to human exposure risk
Toxic cyanobacterial blooms, often containing multiple toxins, are a serious public health issue. However, there are no known models that predict a cyanotoxin mixture (anatoxin-a, microcystin, saxitoxin). This paper presents two cyanotoxin mixture models (MIX) and compares them to two microcystin (MC) models from data collected in 2016–2017 from three recurring cyanobacterial bloom locations in Ka
Harmful algal blooms
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and U.S. Geological Survey science capabilities
Estimating microcystin levels at recreational sites in western Lake Erie and Ohio
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) and associated toxins, such as microcystin, are a major global water-quality issue. Water-resource managers need tools to quickly predict when and where toxin-producing cyanoHABs will occur. This could be done by using site-specific models that estimate the potential for elevated toxin concentrations that cause public health concerns. With this study
Developing and implementing the use of predictive models for estimating water quality at Great Lakes beaches
Predictive models have been used at beaches to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water-quality assessments over the most common current approach to water-quality monitoring, which relies on culturing fecal-indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli.). Beach-specific predictive models use environmental and water-quality variables that are easily and quickly measured as s
Harmful algal blooms
Nowcast Beach Status
NowCast – A daily nowcast of recreational water quality conditions
Nowcast predicts water quality conditions at select beach swimming areas in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Predictions are only posted during the beach swimming season in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Related News
The U.S. Geological Survey is collaborating with State and local partners to develop models that provide real-time estimates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) (for pathogens) and (or) microcystin (for freshwater cyanotoxins) levels at Great Lakes beaches and drinking-water intakes.
Near real-time water quality conditions in Lake Erie are available during local beach season via Great Lakes NowCast.
Related Science
NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
Are Naturally Occurring Algal Toxins in Water Resources a Health Hazard?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
Datasets and Apps
Lake Erie NowCast Map App (operates during local beach season)
Nowcast Beach Status
Nowcast predicts water quality conditions at select beach swimming areas in the Great Lakes. Nowcast estimates conditions by merging environment and climate data with variables measured at a beach by 8 AM each morning and entering them into a computer program which provides a probability from 1 to 100 as to whether or not the beach has exceeded the bathing-water standard of 235 units of E. coli.
Multimedia
You may notice a green, red or brown film on your favorite boating or swimming area in the summer. This coloring could mean that the water is affected by harmful algal blooms. USGS scientists Dr. Barry Rosen, Dr. Jennifer Graham and Dr.
You may notice a green, red or brown film on your favorite boating or swimming area in the summer. This coloring could mean that the water is affected by harmful algal blooms. USGS scientists Dr. Barry Rosen, Dr. Jennifer Graham and Dr.
Related USGS Publications
Real-time assessments of water quality—A nowcast for Escherichia coli and cyanobacterial toxins
The "H," "A," and "B" of a HAB: A definitional framework
Detecting algal toxins and organic contaminants of concern in the environment
Cyanotoxin mixture models: Relating environmental variables and toxin co-occurrence to human exposure risk
Toxic cyanobacterial blooms, often containing multiple toxins, are a serious public health issue. However, there are no known models that predict a cyanotoxin mixture (anatoxin-a, microcystin, saxitoxin). This paper presents two cyanotoxin mixture models (MIX) and compares them to two microcystin (MC) models from data collected in 2016–2017 from three recurring cyanobacterial bloom locations in Ka
Harmful algal blooms
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and U.S. Geological Survey science capabilities
Estimating microcystin levels at recreational sites in western Lake Erie and Ohio
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) and associated toxins, such as microcystin, are a major global water-quality issue. Water-resource managers need tools to quickly predict when and where toxin-producing cyanoHABs will occur. This could be done by using site-specific models that estimate the potential for elevated toxin concentrations that cause public health concerns. With this study
Developing and implementing the use of predictive models for estimating water quality at Great Lakes beaches
Predictive models have been used at beaches to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water-quality assessments over the most common current approach to water-quality monitoring, which relies on culturing fecal-indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli.). Beach-specific predictive models use environmental and water-quality variables that are easily and quickly measured as s
Harmful algal blooms
Nowcast Beach Status
NowCast – A daily nowcast of recreational water quality conditions
Nowcast predicts water quality conditions at select beach swimming areas in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Predictions are only posted during the beach swimming season in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Related News