ALT Lunchtime Discovery Series Elizabeth Fensin, Algal Ecologist and Dan Wiltsie, Algal Bloom Response Coordinator, Division of Water Resources, NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Algae are found in all aquatic systems and are an essential food source for many organisms, but under some conditions, they can reproduce rapidly and form blooms that cause major changes in water chemistry. These changes can be harmful to the ecosystem and to human health. Join two scientists from the NC DEQ’s Division of Water Resources to learn about the biology and ecology of algae, why algae blooms occur and how the Algae Lab studies and monitors this phenomenon.