Smithsonian Scientists Are Using Algae to Revitalize America’s Waterways

Contrary to popular belief, algae are more than slimy pieces of seaweed––in addition to producing about half of the oxygen released into the atmosphere every day, the plants are a powerful tool for cleaning the environment.

Walter Adey, an emeritus research scientist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, is a pioneer of the algae field. He discovered algae’s potential in the 1970s and has been refining his “algal turf scrubber,” which purifies water by filtering out extra nutrients, ever since.