Original title: Headquarters reporter’s visit｜What caused the toxic blue-green algae outbreak in Britain’s largest freshwater lake?
Since the beginning of summer this year, Lake Ney, the UK’s largest freshwater lake in Northern Ireland, has experienced an unprecedented outbreak of toxic blue-green algae. The drinking water of about 40% of the population in Northern Ireland has been contaminated, triggering a local “ecological crisis.” Where does lake water pollution come from? Recently, local ecologists were interviewed by reporters from China Central Radio and Television and analyzed the root causes of pollution in Lake Ney.
Dr. Pol MacCarner is a biologist and ecologist in Northern Ireland, UK. He has worked in Northern Ireland government departments and the private sector. His main work is to carry out academic research on the biological control of algae in drinking water sources. Research.
Ball believes that Northern Ireland is mainly an agricultural society. In recent decades, the degree of agricultural intensification in Northern Ireland has increased significantly. The Northern Ireland government encourages the development of agriculture and breeding. Farms and breeding farms excessively discharge sewage, exceeding the capacity of the land. Ability is the main cause of eutrophication and blue-green algae outbreaks in Lake Ney.
Ecologist Pol Mike Khanna: Not all pollutants can be absorbed and decomposed by soil and plants, and these pollutants will be washed into rivers. Poultry manure needs to be treated and then dumped on the land. However, the land does not have enough carrying capacity, so a high proportion of animal excrement will flow into Lake Ney along the river, causing the lake water here to be too eutrophic, and then blue-green algae will grow wildly.
Ball said that the river basin that flows into Lake Ney accounts for 43% of the area of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom. The Lake Ney basin is seriously polluted, and the pollution of Lake Ney is inevitable.
Ecologist Pol MacCarner: We can see that water quality levels are declining across Northern Ireland. We can see from data reported by the government that in 2015, 33% of river water quality was good or higher. But in 2021, no river in the entire Northern Ireland has a water quality of good or higher.
Headquarters reporter Chen Lincong: Lake Ney is actually a glacier lake in a high latitude area. Its surrounding environment is relatively closed. It can only communicate with the Atlantic Ocean through this small river, which is only about 30 meters wide. Therefore, after causing pollution and ecological damage, its self-purification ability and ecological recovery ability are relatively weak.
Ball said that the intensified invasion of alien species has disrupted the already fragile ecological chain of Lake Ney. Sand mining at the bottom of the lake has destroyed the lake bed and weakened the ability of the lake bottom ecosystem to handle pollution. In addition, the over-development of agriculture and animal husbandry regardless of the land’s carrying capacity has , the water quality of Lake Ney has dropped to the worst level, and the prospects for sustainable development in Northern Ireland are worrying.
Ecologist Pol MacKana: We can’t continue to intensify agriculture by adding, adding, adding just thinking we can produce more milk, more meat, more eggs, Not thinking about these will increase pollution. How do we control pollution? How can Northern Ireland develop sustainably?
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2023-10-22 05:15:00
