Spending time in, on and around lakes, reservoirs, canals and rivers is a lovely way to enjoy being out and about in your caravan, but these locations can be hotspots for blue green algae.
It’s important to be able to identify blue green algae, as it’s a type of bacteria, known as cyanobacteria, that can produce chemicals that are toxic to people, birds and animals.
If you like to combine caravanning with swimming or other watersports, knowing when it’s not safe to go in is crucial to staying healthy.
Swimming in, or drinking, water contaminated by an algal bloom can cause skin rashes, vomiting, liver and kidney damage, and could even be fatal, for humans and dogs.
Blue green algae – there’s an app for that
The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology is asking members of the public, particularly people who use lakes, reservoirs and canals recreationally, to report sightings of blue green algae.
This can be done easily by downloading the Bloomin’ Algae app to your phone and submitting any pictures of suspected algal blooms, which will be checked by scientists.
A photo guide included on the app can also help you assess if it’s blue green algae yourself, while you can also opt in to receive notifications about confirmed blooms in areas where you’re holidaying.
Crowdsourcing information
The app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times and around 300 to 400 sightings are logged each year, but more people need to be involved if scientists are to get an accurate idea of the scale of the problem.
At present, the majority of the cases reported are in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but it’s a problem nationwide.
The Bloomin’ Algae app has a wide network of users across the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Lichtenstein.
There are also plans to roll it out in Kenya and Chile, so you can log sightings on trips overseas with your caravan or motorhome.
Dr Linda May, freshwater ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: “Climate change is making algal blooms more common. So, it’s really important for us to be able to track when and where these blooms are occurring.
“The more data we collect through the app, the more this helps our research into algal blooms, including ways that we can control them and reduce health risks to people and animals.”
Photo credit: Pexels/Tom Fisk