New paper explores the mechanisms causing harmful algal blooms in the Three Gorges Reservoir

A new paper published in Freshwater Science by a joint Sino-Canadian team, including Waterloo researchers Philippe Van Cappellen and William Taylor, explores the mechanisms responsible for algal blooms in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR). Based on data collected over a 2-year period, the researchers found that cyanobacterial blooms only occur in the upper reaches of tributaries. Furthermore, the blooms coincide with the onset of thermal stratification in the upper tributaries. By contrast, the lower reaches of the tributaries and the main stem of the Yangtze River do not exhibit these blooms because of continuous deep mixing throughout the year. The data and their interpretation provide new insights that can inform environmental management strategies for the TGR and reservoirs in general. Many of the paper’s authors participate in the recently created National Base of International S&T Collaboration on Water Environmental Monitoring and Simulation in the TGR (WEMST). To access the paper, visit here. To know more about WEMST, visit here.