Phytoplankton Blooms

March 6, 2023

Huge blooms of phytoplankton — microscopic algae floating on the ocean’s surface — have become larger and more frequent along the world’s coastlines.
Marine animals such as fish and whales eat phytoplankton.
It can also prove toxic in large amounts, starving the ocean of oxygen and leading to “dead zones” that wreak chaos on the food chain and fisheries.
Reasons behind the boom
- Warmer sea surface temperatures.
- Changes in climate can also mess with ocean circulation, affecting mixing between ocean layers and how nutrients move around the ocean.
- Human development also plays a role. Fertilizer runoff from agriculture can spike nutrient loads in the ocean, leading to blooms.