Latest news with #algae
The Sun
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Gardeners are being urged to put a penny in their bird bath this summer for important reason
PLACING a penny in your bird bath can have an unexpected benefit this summer. This simple and extremely cheap step can help to transform your garden decor, and help attract more birds. 2 As well as serving as a stylish feature, bird baths have a positive impact on your outdoor space. They attract birds to your garden, helping to control the amount of insects in your flowerbeds. However, they also tend to become a breeding ground for algae. But according to experts, there is a quick trick which can solve this problem, and there's no scrubbing involved.. The solution is also extremely cost-effective, as all you need is one penny. According to the experts at Homes and Gardens, throwing a penny into your bird bath can help to ward off algae. "The copper present in pre-1982 one or two-penny coins triggers a chemical reaction in your bird bath's water," the pros explained. They continued on to say that this "acts to naturally fend off the development of algae". Rocky Trifari, a bird enthusiast and owner of The Rocky Safari, spoke to the publication about the benefits of the hack. "Copper is a natural biocide with properties that interfere with the biological processes algae and other microorganisms rely on," the expert said. I hate my new build garden being overlooked so found a 5 METRE privacy fence to block out nosy neighbours for under £30 "When copper ions leach into the water, they promote an environment that discourages the growth of green algae, one of the main causes of that slimy, dirty water found in birdbaths." Make sure your pennies are free of rust or corrosion before adding them to your bird bath. Since birds drink and bathe in the water, prolonged exposure to these elements could cause health risks. While pennies won't act as a permanent solution to algae, they can definitely help reduce growth. What does the RSPB think? The organisation said: "Birds need water for drinking and bathing. "There are many ways of providing water in the garden, but the simplest? A bird bath. "Many people put food out for birds, but fewer provide a regular supply of clean water. Birds need water for drinking and bathing. "Bird baths are particularly important in weather extremes: During winter when natural supplies may be frozen, and in dry conditions such as hot summers with weeks of no rain. "But being small and enclosed, bird baths can easily become dirty and stagnant, and even dangerous, without regular cleaning. "Make sure you change the water in your bird bath daily and give bird baths a thorough clean once a week to help prevent the spread of disease." How to encourage wildlife into your garden THE Woodland Trust shared five top tips 1. Grow wild Let nature take its course to create a more attractive environment for all things wild. You don't have to leave your plot to develop into a small jungle – wildlife will thank you for just a small corner, border or planter. 2. Plant trees and shrubs Research has shown that gardens are more attractive to wildlife if they have trees. And those trees can bring a host of other benefits too, from reducing noise and flooding to fighting climate change. 3. Create homes If you want to attract a particular species, a ready-made home can look especially appealing to any wildlife passing through. 4. Offer a water source Water is crucial for wildlife. Making some available in your garden could be a lifeline, especially in extreme weather. 5. Serve an extra meal One of the best ways to persuade a plethora of wildlife to your patch is to give them access to an easy meal. Other cleaning hacks and gardening tips A £1 buy can also be used to transform your mouldy outdoor furniture. Alternatively, a kitchen ingredient can also be used to scrub up your garden set. Another budget buy is also said to leave your outdoor garden set gleaming in time for summer. Or you can opt to clean your garden furniture in seconds with a DIY hack. And an 80p hack helps to lift stubborn algae from your garden surfaces. 2
The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
My two-ingredient solution will banish green algae on fences & stop it coming back for good, it costs less than a fiver
GARDENERS love to take pride in their outside spaces, from growing hundreds of plants to getting the perfect lawn. But green algae growing on garden fences can totally ruin it. 1 Unfortunately, wooden fences are the perfect breeding ground for the stuff. Wooden fences, that are often overshadowed by plants and exposed to weather elements, provide the perfect environment for algae growth. While it can be time-consuming to clean, it doesn't have to be hard. And now a fence expert has shared the perfect solution to getting rid of it and stopping it from coming back. The experts at say you need just two items to banish it. To start, prep the area around your fence by covering plants with plastic to ensure you don't kill any of them. Once you've protected the surrounding area, it's time to mix the solution. The experts state: "Mix one part bleach and two parts warm water. "Before you begin cleaning, make sure you have some rubber gloves handy." Apply the solution to the fence and scrub with a hard brush. I made a DIY fence for £68 with pallets from Facebook Marketplace - it gives more privacy & people say it's 'fantastic' Eventually, the green algae spots will begin to disappear. You can then let the solution sit for up to an hour before rinsing it off. You then want to let the fence completely dry before moving on to the next step of painting the fence. The experts added: "No paints or stains can be applied until the fence is fully dried out, and while it can be helpful to remove some of the excess moisture with deck cloths, it can take between 24 and 48 hours for the wood to reabsorb its natural oils." Gardening tips and hacks How to transform your garden on a cheap budget How to preserve your favourite flowers at home - 5 easy tips explained Which plants should I be wary about my dog being around? When is the best time to prune roses? When should I start planting daffodil bulbs? How high can a garden fence be and can it be taller than my neighbours? What colour of fence paint makes a garden look bigger? Will my garden plants still grow if my backyard doesn't receive any sun? When the fence is completely dry, you can prevent the algae from forming again by applying a fresh coat of waterproof stain and sealant. Be sure to do this when no rain is expected within the following 24 hours. The pros finish: "While a brush is the best method to get in the smaller spaces, you can use a roller or a sprayer, but just be sure to add extra applications to have total coverage. "A coat of sealer will weather-proof it and give you extra coverage for recesses or grooves that may have been missed." You can buy fence sealant from Tool Station for just £7.68 and a bottle of bleach from Tesco for 75p. You don't have to use the whole tub of sealant if you are spot treating the fence, making the hack CST less than a fiver.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Caribbean beaches blighted by record masses of stinking seaweed
A record amount of sargassum has piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, and more is expected this month, according to a new study. The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close. The amount – 38m tonnes – is the biggest quantity of algae observed across the Caribbean Sea, the western and eastern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico since scientists began studying the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011, said Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida who worked on the new report from the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab. The previous record was set in June 2022 , with some 22m tonnes. 'The peaks just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger year after year,' he said. But scientists don't know why yet. 'It's the million-dollar question,' he said. 'I don't have a supremely satisfying answer.' Three different types of sargassum exist in the Caribbean and nearby areas, reproducing asexually as they remain afloat thanks to tiny air sacs. They thrive in different ways depending on sunlight, nutrients and water temperature, factors that scientists are currently studying, Barnes said. Experts have also said that agricultural runoff, warming waters and changes in wind, current and rain could have an effect. While large clumps of algae in the open ocean are what Barnes called a 'healthy, happy ecosystem' for creatures ranging from tiny shrimp to endangered sea turtles, sargassum near or on shore can wreak havoc. It can block sunlight that coral reefs need to survive, and if the algae sinks, it can smother reefs and sea grasses. Once it reaches shore, the creatures living in the algae die or are picked off by birds, Barnes said. Huge piles of stinky seaweed also are a headache for the Caribbean, where tourism often generates big money for small islands. In the popular tourist spot of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, officials have invested in barriers to prevent sargassum from reaching the shore. In the Dutch Caribbean territory of Sint Maarten, crews with backhoes were dispatched in late May as part of an emergency cleanup after residents complained of strong smells of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can affect a person's respiratory system. 'The smell is quite terrible,' Barnes said. Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean, officials expect to soon use storage barges and an upgraded special vessel that can collect several tonnes of seaweed a day. The sargassum 'disfigures our coasts, prevents swimming and makes life impossible for local residents', the French prime minister, François Bayrou, recently told reporters. But Comito said such vessels were 'massively expensive' and not a popular option, noting that another option – using heavy equipment – is labor-intensive. 'You have to be careful because there could be sea turtle eggs affected,' he said. 'It's not like you can go in there and massively rake and scrape the whole thing.' Some Caribbean islands struggle financially, so most of the cleanup is done by hotels, with some offering guests refunds or a free shuttle to unaffected beaches. Every year, the amount of sargassum expands in late spring, peaks around summer and starts to decline in the late fall or early winter, Barnes said. The new record is likely to be broken – experts said they expect even more sargassum for June.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Scientists say a record amount of seaweed hit the Caribbean and nearby areas in May
A record amount of sargassum piled up across the Caribbean and nearby areas in May, and more is expected this month, according to a new report. The brown prickly algae is suffocating shorelines from Puerto Rico to Guyana and beyond, disrupting tourism, killing wildlife and even releasing toxic gases that forced one school in the French Caribbean island of Martinique to temporarily close. The amount — 38 million metric tons — is the biggest quantity of algae observed across the Caribbean Sea, the western and eastern Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico since scientists began studying the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011, said Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at the University of South Florida who worked on the report published on Monday by the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab. The previous record was set in June 2022, with some 22 million metric tons. 'The peaks just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger year after year,' he said. But scientists don't know why yet. 'It's the million-dollar question,' he said. 'I don't have a supremely satisfying answer.' Three different types of sargassum exist in the Caribbean and nearby areas, reproducing asexually as they remain afloat thanks to tiny air sacs. They thrive in different ways depending on sunlight, nutrients and water temperature, factors that scientists are currently studying, Barnes said. Experts also have said that agricultural runoff, warming waters and changes in wind, current and rain could have an effect. While large clumps of algae in the open ocean are what Barnes called a 'healthy, happy ecosystem' for creatures ranging from tiny shrimp to endangered sea turtles, sargassum near or on shore can wreak havoc. It can block sunlight that coral reefs need to survive, and if the algae sinks, it can smother reefs and sea grasses. Once it reaches shore, the creatures living in the algae die or are picked off by birds, Barnes said. Huge piles of stinky seaweed also are a headache for the Caribbean, where tourism often generates big money for small islands. 'It is a challenge, but it's certainly not affecting every single inch of the Caribbean,' said Frank Comito, special adviser to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. In the popular tourist spot of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, officials have invested in barriers to prevent sargassum from reaching the shore, he said. In the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten, crews with backhoes were dispatched in late May as part of an emergency clean-up after residents complained of strong smells of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which can affect a person's respiratory system. 'The smell is quite terrible,' Barnes said. Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean, officials expect to soon use storage barges and an upgraded special vessel that can collect several tons of seaweed a day. The sargassum 'disfigures our coasts, prevents swimming and makes life impossible for local residents,' French Prime Minister François Bayrou recently told reporters. But Comito said such vessels are 'massively expensive' and not a popular option, noting that another option — using heavy equipment —- is labor-intensive. 'You have to be careful because there could be sea turtle eggs affected,' he said. 'It's not like you can go in there and massively rake and scrape the whole thing.' Some Caribbean islands struggle financially, so most of the cleanup is done by hotels, with some offering guests refunds or a free shuttle to unaffected beaches. Every year, the amount of sargassum expands in late spring, peaks around summer and starts to decline in the late fall or early winter, Barnes said. The new record set is hardly stationary — experts said they expect even more sargassum for June. ____
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Brian Whitton obituary
My former PhD supervisor and colleague Brian Whitton, who has died aged 89, was an academic expert on the blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria. He spent his entire career at the University of Durham, latterly leading a laboratory that performed much innovative research. Current methods for assessing plants and algae in UK rivers had their origins in his laboratory, and he was widely consulted by biologists in the water industry when algae-related problems arose. Brian was born in London to Arthur, a banker, and Florence (nee Ferrier), a telephonist. He went to King's College school in Wimbledon, did his national service in Cyprus with the Royal Corps of Signals, and then studied at Wadham College, Oxford, where in 1959 he gained a first-class degree in botany. A PhD followed at University College London, where he narrowed his interests down to algae – and cyanobacteria in particular. He joined Durham in 1962 as a temporary lecturer while he finished writing his PhD thesis, then became a full lecturer in the department of botany in 1963, rising to be a senior lecturer (1972-80), a reader (1980-99) and then a professor of botany in the last two years before his retirement in 2000, when he became professor emeritus. We first met in 1983, when I began studying for a PhD with him, and we later became work colleagues. In the early 1960s at the university, David Bellamy, a fellow botany lecturer, introduced him to the limestone habitats of northern England, and the cyanobacteria Brian found in those places subsequently became his primary focus. His research took him to various parts of the world, including the Aldabra atoll in Seychelles and the deepwater rice fields of Bangladesh, as well as to highly polluted habitats where these ancient but tenacious organisms thrive even though all other life has withered. He studied them in the field and in the laboratory, and in later years worked with molecular biologists to understand the genetic basis of their adaptations. For many years Brian also ran an annual course at Durham University in algal identification that became the standard introduction to freshwater algae for biologists from government agencies, as well as for many overseas students. His work on that course led him to become a co-editor of the Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles (2002), a guide to identifying the algae of Britain and Ireland. He was also an editor of several journals, and the founding editor of Journal of Applied Phycology. Drawing on his many contacts across Europe, from 1990 onwards Brian organised workshops on the use of algae to monitor the health of rivers, bringing scientists together from across Europe to share their knowledge and laying the foundations for methods that are now widely used to evaluate riverine ecological status. Outside his work, Brian was a collector of the paintings of the British surrealist John Tunnard. He also grew many examples of the alpine plant genus Corydalis in his garden, hosting annual open days for the public and heading off on collecting trips to China until curtailed by the Covid pandemic and an awareness of his growing frailty. Without an immediate family, Brian nonetheless nurtured friendships with a wide group of former research students and associates.
