Harmful blooms of algae like the one floating near the dam on Apache Lake are on the rise worldwide and are likely to proliferate more in Arizona as warming temperatures create encouraging habitats for the blue-green toxic scum. The Apache Lake bloom, reported May 29, is the second this year in Arizona following one spotted on Lake Havasu a month prior. About 30 harmful blooms plagued Arizona waters last year, affecting parts of Lake Havasu, Saguaro and Canyon lakes and Tempe Town Lake. That’s likely an undercount as the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality voluntarily collects reports and doesn’t have the authority to force water managers to post warnings or test the water. … Harmful blooms also are likely to become more common and more severe in Arizona as conditions get dryer and hotter, said Taylor L. Weiss, with the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation and assistant professor at Arizona State University.

Other blue-green algae news:

• Phys.org: Harmful algal blooms: How climate change will affect their frequency along coasts
• The Independent (London, U.K.): Why Americans who live near coastlines and lakefronts may face heightened ALS risk