Lake Erie Algae, Ice, Make a Nice Mix in Winter

http://eponline.com/articles/2012/01/11/lake-erie-algae-ice-make-a-nice-mix-in-winter.aspx

Lake Erie Algae, Ice, Make a Nice Mix in Winter
...

Results of the study, "Diatoms abound in ice-covered Lake Erie: An investigation of offshore winter limnology in Lake Erie over the period 2007 to 2010," are reported by Michael Twiss, Mike McKay, Rick Bourbonniere, George Bullerjahn, Hunter Carrick, Ralph Smith, Jennifer Winter, Nigel D’souza, Paula Furey, Aubrey Lashaway, Matt Saxton and Steve Wilhelm in Volume 38, No. 1, of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by Elsevier, 2011.

...

Sampath Kumar's speech at TEDx Velammal, Chennai

Sampath Kumar – TEDx Velammal Talk on Feb 9, 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IefdNXMsxHw

Hydrological Alterations and Marine Biogeochemistry: A Silicate Issue?

Hydrological Alterations and Marine Biogeochemistry: A Silicate Issue?
Venugopalan Ittekkot, Christoph Humborg and Petra Schäfer
BioScience, Vol. 50, No. 9, Hydrological Alterations (Sep., 2000), pp. 776-782
(article consists of 7 pages)
Published by: American Institute of Biological Sciences
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1313953

Silicon Retention in River Basins

Silicon Retention in River Basins: Far-Reaching Effects on Biogeochemistry and Aquatic Food Webs in Coastal Marine Environments

Christoph Humborg, Daniel J. Conley, Lars Rahm, Fredrik Wulff, Adriana Cociasu and Venugopalan Ittekkot

Ambio, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Feb., 2000), pp. 45-50
(article consists of 6 pages)

Published by: Allen Press on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4314993

Silicon Retention in River Basins: Far-Reaching Effects on Biogeochemistry and Aquatic Food Webs in Coastal Marine Environments, by Christoph Humborg, Daniel J. Conley, Lars Rahm, Fredrik Wulff, Adriana Cociasu and Venugopalan Ittekkot © 2000 Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Abstract

Regulation of rivers by damming as well as eutrophication in river basins has substantially reduced dissolved silicon (DSi) loads to the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Whereas removal of N and P in lakes and reservoirs can be compensated for by anthropogenic inputs in the drainage basins, no such compensation occurs for DSi.
[ except for Nualgi ]

The resulting changes in the nutrient composition (DSi:N:P ratio) of river discharges seem to be responsible for dramatic shifts in phytoplankton species composition in the Black Sea.

In the Baltic Sea, DSi concentrations and the DSi:N ratio have been decreasing since the end of the 1960s, and there are indications that the proportion of diatoms in the spring bloom has decreased while flagellates have increased.

The effects on coastal biogeochemical cycles and food web structure observed in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea may be far reaching, because it appears that the reductions in DSi delivery by rivers are probably occurring worldwide with the ever increasing construction of dams for flow regulation.

The Diatom Story - Video

A 20 minute video about Diatoms and Nualgi is available on youtube in two parts.

The links are -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8M6eV9-7OA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp7KV310slI

Interesting book on Diatoms

The Glass Menagerie: diatoms for novel applications in nanotechnology
Richard Gordon1,,Dusan Losic2,Mary Ann Tiffany3,Stephen S. Nagy4andFrithjof A.S. Sterrenburg5

Abstract

Diatoms are unicellular, eukaryotic, photosynthetic algae that are found in aquatic environments. Diatoms have enormous ecological importance on this planet and display a diversity of patterns and structures at the nano- to millimetre scale. Diatom nanotechnology, a new interdisciplinary area, has spawned collaborations in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, physics, chemistry, material science and engineering. We survey diatom nanotechnology since 2005, emphasizing recent advances in diatom biomineralization, biophotonics, photoluminescence, microfluidics, compustat domestication, multiscale porosity, silica sequestering of proteins, detection of trace gases, controlled drug delivery and computer design. Diatoms might become the first organisms for which the gap in our knowledge of the relationship between genotype and phenotype is closed.

http://www.cell.com/trends/biotechnology/abstract/S0167-7799(09)00002-X#aff4

Books about Algae, Diatoms, Phycology, etc.

A few books on Algae, Diatoms, Phycology, etc.

The Algal Bowl: Overfertilization of the World's Freshwaters and Estuaries
David W. Schindler and John R. Vallentyne

The greatest threat to water quality worldwide is nutrient pollution. Eutrophication by nutrients in sewage, fertilizers and detergents is feeding massive algal blooms in rivers, lakes and estuaries, choking out aquatic life and outpacing heavy metals, oil spills and other toxins in the devastation wrought upon the world's fresh waters.Renowned water scientists, David W. Schindler and John R. Vallentyne, share their combined 80 years of experience to explain its history and science, and offer real-world solutions for mitigating this catastrophe in the making. A long-awaited replacement for Vallentyne's classic 1974 first edition, Schindler's fully revised edition has been expanded to cover estuaries as well as lakes. It is international in scope, drawing on examples including the North American Great Lakes, the Baltic Sea region in northern Europe and lakes in Asia and Africa.

Diatoms: Biology and Morphology of the Genera
F.E. Round , R.M. Crawford and D.G. Mann

This book presents a wide-ranging introduction to the diatoms together with an illustrated description of over 250 genera. Diatoms are important as perhaps the commonest group of autotrophic plants on earth and are abundant in all waters and on soils and moist surfaces. The introduction describes the diatom cell in detail, the structure of the wall (often extremely beautiful in design), the cell contents and aspects of life cycle and cell division. The generic atlas section is the first account of diatom systematics since 1928 (Karsten in Engler and Prantl: Die Nauturlichen Pflanzenfamilien) and each generic description is accompanied by scanning electron micrographs to show the characteristic structure. Most of the latter have been prepared specially for this work from the authors' own collections. The Diatoms will be the standard reference work on the group for years to come and is an essential reference volume.

Algae: An Introduction to Phycology
Christiaan Van Den Hoek , David Mann and Hans Martin Jahns
Algae are ubiquitous. A multitude of species, ranging from microscopic unicells to gigantic kelps, inhabit the world s oceans, freshwater bodies, soils, rocks and trees. To understand the basic role of algae in the global ecosystem, a reliable and modern introduction to their kaleidoscopic diversity, systematics and phylogeny is indispensible. This volume provides such an introduction. The text represents a completely revised and updated edition of a highly acclaimed German textbook which was heralded for its clarity as well as its breadth and depth of information. This new edition takes into account recent re-evaluations in algal systematics and phylogeny which have been made necessary by insights provided by the powerful techniques of molecular genetics and electron microscopy, as well as more traditional life history studies.

The Ecology of Phytoplankton: (Ecology, Biodiversity And Conservation)
Colin Reynolds
Communities of microscopic plant life, or phytoplankton, dominate the Earth's aquatic ecosystems. This important new book by Colin Reynolds covers the adaptations, physiology and population dynamics of phytoplankton communities in lakes and rivers and oceans. It provides basic information on composition, morphology and physiology of the main phyletic groups represented in marine and freshwater systems and in addition reviews recent advances in community ecology, developing an appreciation of assembly processes, co-existence and competition, disturbance and diversity. Although focussed on one group of organisms, the book develops many concepts relevant to ecology in the broadest sense, and as such will appeal to graduate students and researchers in ecology, limnology and oceanography.

Phycology
Robert Lee
Phycology is the study of algae, the primary photosynthetic organisms in freshwater and marine food chains. As a food source for zooplankton and filter-feeding shellfish, the algae are an extremely important group. Since the publication of the first edition in 1981, this textbook has established itself as a classic resource on phycology. This revised edition maintains the format of previous editions, whilst incorporating the latest information from nucleic acid sequencing studies. Detailed life-history drawings of algae are presented alongside information on the cytology, ecology, biochemistry, and economic importance of selected genera. Phycology is suitable for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students following courses in phycology, limnology or biological oceanography. Emphasis is placed on those algae that are commonly covered in phycology courses, and encountered by students in marine and freshwater habitats.

Photos of Lake treated with Nualgi

Pure Oxygen bubbles in a lake in Hyderabad - 15 minutes after use of Nualgi.
The bubbles are caused by the oxygen released by Diatom Algae, the bubbles are visible in extremely polluted lakes due to the sudden bloom of diatoms which starts within minutes of use of Nualgi.


More bubbles 2 hours after usig Nualgi



Even more bubbls of Oxygen - this continues for upto 10 days.

We have estimated that 1 kg of Nualgi results in absorbtion of 137.5 kgs of CO2 and release of 100 kgs of O2.

Nualgi - Schematic diagram

Nualgi is a sustainable solution because it sets off a series of sustainable cycles.
CO2 - O2 cycle in water - Anthropogenic CO2, Aquatic Animal CO2 to O2 from Diatoms.
Food - Sewage - Nutrients in water - Fish - Food Cycle.
Biodiesel - CO2 - Diatoms - Biodiesel cycle.
Diatoms to Aerobic Bacteria - CO2 and Nutrients to O2 Cycle

Diatoms For Nanofabrication

A very interesting article on other uses of Diatoms.

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20080021192855data_trunc_sys.shtml

22 January 2008Tweaking Diatoms For Nanofabrication Dutiesby Kate Melville
Diatoms, tiny phytoplankton that encase themselves in intricately patterned shells, could represent the next big breakthrough in computer chip fabrication, say scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Diatoms build their hard cell walls by laying down submicron-sized lines of silica, a compound related to the key material of the semiconductor industry — silicon. "If we can genetically control that process, we would have a whole new way of performing the nanofabrication used to make computer chips," says Michael Sussman, a University of Wisconsin-Madison biochemistry professor.
Reporting their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team led by Sussman and diatom expert Virginia Armbrust of the University of Washington have identified a set of 75 genes specifically involved in silica bioprocessing in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. Armbrust, an oceanography professor who studies the ecological role of diatoms, headed up the effort to sequence the genome of T. pseudonana in 2004.
The new data will enable Sussman to start manipulating the genes responsible for silica production and potentially harness them to produce lines on computer chips. This could vastly increase chip speed as diatoms are capable of producing lines much smaller than current technology allows.
"The semiconductor industry has been able to double the density of transistors on computer chips every few years. They've been doing that using photolithographic techniques for the past 30 years," explained Sussman. "But they are actually hitting a wall now because they're getting down to the resolution of visible light."
To determine which genes are involved in creating the distinctive patterns in diatoms, the research team used a DNA chip developed by Sussman, UW-Madison electrical engineer Franco Cerrina and UW-Madison geneticist Fred Blattner. The chip allows scientists to see which genes are involved in a given cellular process. In this case, the chip identified genes that responded when diatoms were grown in low levels of silicic acid, the raw material they use to make silica.
Of the 30 genes that increased their expression the most during silicic acid starvation, 25 are completely new, displaying no similarities to known genes. "Now we know which of the organism's 13,000 genes are most likely to be involved in silica bioprocessing. Now we can zero in on those top 30 genes and start genetically manipulating them and see what happens," said Sussman.