Publisher's Synopsis
In 1974, John R. Vallentyne predicted that by the year 2000 we would be living in an environmental disaster he called the Algal Bowl. Just as the Dust Bowl of the 1930 was created by misusing western farmland, he forecast that the continuing misuse of lakes could only lead to water degradation. In the first edition of The Algal Bowl: Lakes and Man, he explained how the biology of lakes is changed by an overload of nutrients; a process known as eutrophication. Vallentyne demonstrated that human activity was the primary cause of eutrophication and therefore responsible for the explosive growth of algae. His efforts helped move policy makers in North America to action regarding the dangers of phosphates in fresh water. Witnessing the escalation of eutrophication, Vallentyne invited his colleague, David W. Schindler, to substantially revise this groundbreaking book. Along with updates to the scientific data, Schindler added five chapters of new research, including the effect of eutrophication on ocean estuaries. Two of North America's leading water scientists joined forces to explain the science and strategies that are essential to understanding and protecting whole water systems from eutrophication and massive algae blooms. Scientists, opinion leaders, policy makers, and concerned citizens will find this fully revised and expanded edition an unambiguous diagnosis and prescription for change. David W. Schindler, O.C., F.R.S.C., F.R.S., is Killam Memorial Chair and Professor of Ecology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the first Stockholm Water Prize (1991), the Volvo Environment Prize (1998), the NSERC Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal for Science and Engineering (2001) and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2006). John R. Vallentyne (1926-2007) was an influential research scientist with the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg. He later became Senior Scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Ottawa. He received the Rachel Carson Prize (1992) and the A.C. Redfield Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. In 2008 the IAGLR created the Jack R. Vallentyne Award to honour his advocacy.
