ABSTRACT
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been reported in various types of freshwater and saltwater bodies worldwide (Chorus and Bartram 1999). In particular, HABs associated with cyanobacteria (i.e., blue green algae) have been of great interest because of their signicant environmental and health impact. The formation of cyanobacterial HABs is manipulated by anthropogenic, environmental, and climatic factors. Nutrient enrichment of water bodies has been a primary factor in the proliferation of cyanobacterial HABs. Cyanobacterial HABs also cause negative impacts to other organisms by creating hypoxic zones, losing habitat, imposing mechanical damage, synthesizing toxic metabolites, and especially producing cyanotoxins. The subsequent risk of cyanobacterial HAB formation to environmental and human health is an increasingly relevant and timely topic.
