Can Algal Bloom Decrease Oxygen Levels in Water?

[fish]

photosynthetic algae - photosynthesis takes place during daylight, CO2 is used and O2 is released. At night, aerobic respiration occurs, O2 is used and CO2 is given off.

If these two processes are in balance with each other (or are they?), how would an algal bloom decrease the O2 level in water? There would be more algae using up oxygen at night but also more would be producing oxygen during daylight?

 

[iansmith]

In a nutshell, the process is not balance but in a lake or on the coast other micro-organism are present. Algae bloom is cause by an increase of nitrogen phosphate run-off in many cases. As the algae and cyanobacteria grow, more organic matter is produce and this results in an increase of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Bacteria digest the organic matter and decrease the oxygen level.