Two years after the fish kill in the Oder River, a research team has decoded the genome of golden algae, which produces a deadly toxin.
Source: German News Agency
The major fish kills in the summer of 2022 still baffle science to this day. ZDF reporter Jan Meyer seeks answers and asks: Could the disaster repeat itself?May 5, 2023 | 9:59 min
Golden Algae: New Scientific Discoveries
A research team from the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) has decoded the entire genome of the golden algae. Together with colleagues from Prague and Vienna, the IGB scientists were able to identify the key genes responsible for toxin formation.
It should now be possible to develop polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that can accurately measure the activity of toxin-producing genes in algae. This would make it possible to issue accurate and early warnings. “However, the development of these tests is still in its early stages,” the OR~SO scientists explained.
Measuring stations can determine algae density.
Although there are a few measuring stations along the Oder, they can only determine the algae density, not the toxic gene. For example, the measuring stations in Frankfurt an der Oder and Hohenwetzen record biological parameters every ten minutes and make them publicly available. on a website. Data are also collected weekly on the Polish side of the Oder, in Slubice, and made available to Brandenburg.
A conversation with Martin Busch from the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries about the risks to fishing on the Oder.June 26, 2023 | 4:35 min
There is nothing clear about the fish kill in the Oder River.
The LfU has developed an alert plan that primarily provides for measures to close the Oder tributaries if there is a significant development of the Parmenium algae in the Oder. To prevent another disaster, the German and Polish authorities are working closely together. A bilateral expert team regularly exchanges data and findings.
In Germany, clean water comes from the tap. When it flows down the drain, it is contaminated with many pollutants. A flood of problems flows towards the wastewater treatment plants.July 28, 2022 | 19:49 min
A “prime example” of climate change?
Climate change plays a major role in the spread and toxicity of golden algae. Scientists warn that “as a result of climate change, our waterways are much less resilient than before.”
The research team makes clear recommendations: “Nutrient inputs from agriculture and wastewater treatment plants as well as salt discharges from coal and copper mining must be reduced, especially during long periods of low water, which occur frequently in all German rivers as a result of climate change.” They call for a comprehensive approach to water management in order to avoid a repeat of the catastrophe of summer 2022. To achieve this, all actors must come together.
We are changing the seemingly inexhaustible element on which life on Earth depends. We are polluting it, reshaping landscapes, and interfering with important natural cycles.March 22, 2020 | 43:42 min
Source: ZDF
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