Cyanobacterial blooms increase slightly in Finnish sea, lakes

Cyanobacterial occurrences increased slightly in southern Finland in both Baltic Sea waters and in lakes, said the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) in a press release on Thursday.

All observations concern sparse amounts of cyanobacteria, as is typical for this time of year. In places pine pollen, which misleadingly resembles cyanobacteria, can still be found in the water.

In the Järvi-meriwiki, maintained by the SYKE, everyone has the opportunity to establish their own observation site and share algal bloom observations from lakes and coastal areas.

Municipalities and cities monitor the cyanobacterial situation on beaches, so it is advisable to report rich cyanobacterial blooms on beaches to the health authorities of the municipality in question.

This summer, a website on algal bloom observations on the Itämeri.fi service has also been launched. The cyanobacterial map presented on this algal bloom observations page combines observations reported to the Järvi-meriwiki and from the beaches of the City of Helsinki as well as observations based on satellite interpretations of the Finnish Environment Institute during the last three days.