Nitrogen Limitation of Intense and Toxic Cyanobacteria Blooms in Lakes within Two of the Most Visited Parks in the USA: The Lake in Central Park and Prospect Park Lake

The Lake in Central Park (LCP) and Prospect Park Lake (PPL) in New York City (NYC), USA, are lakes within two of the most visited parks in the USA. Five years of nearshore sampling of these systems revealed extremely elevated levels of cyanobacteria and the toxin, microcystin, with microcystin levels averaging 920 mu g L-1 and chlorophyll a from cyanobacterial (cyano-chla) populations averaging 1.0 x 10(5) mu g cyano-chla L-1. Both lakes displayed elevated levels of orthophosphate (DIP) relative to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) during summer months when DIN:DIP ratios were < 1. Nutrient addition and dilution experiments revealed that N consistently limited cyanobacterial populations but that green algae were rarely nutrient limited. Experimental additions of public drinking water that is rich in P and, to a lesser extent N, to lake water significantly enhanced cyanobacterial growth rates in experiments during which N additions also yielded growth enhancement. Collectively, this study demonstrates that the extreme microcystin levels during blooms in these highly trafficked lakes represent a potential human and animal health threat and that supplementation of these artificial lakes with public drinking water to maintain water levels during summer may promote the intensity and N limitation of blooms.

Automated summary

The Lake in Central Park and Prospect Park Lake in New York City have extremely high levels of cyanobacteria and microcystin. These lakes have elevated levels of orthophosphate relative to dissolved inorganic nitrogen during summer months. Nitrogen consistently limits cyanobacterial populations while green algae are rarely nutrient limited. Adding public drinking water rich in phosphorus and to a lesser extent nitrogen significantly enhances the growth of cyanobacteria.