plankton blooms
Ocean's population surges
Plankton blooms are rapid, massive increases in plankton populations, typically phytoplankton (microscopic marine plants).
These explosions occur when conditions align—nutrients, sunlight, water temperature—allowing populations to multiply dramatically.
Some blooms are beneficial, forming the base of ocean food chains.
Others are harmful: red tides and toxic algal blooms can poison shellfish, kill fish, and close beaches.
Satellite images showed a plankton bloom stretching hundreds of miles.
- upwellingDeep water rising surfaceward
- sea surfaceWater-air interface
- diatomsSingle-celled silica algae
- phytoplanktonPhotosynthetic aquatic drifters
- fish killsMass aquatic animal deaths
red tide · hypoxia · shellfish poisoning · dead zone · copepods · bioluminescence · food web · eutrophication · satellite imaging · nitrogen fixation · cyanobacteria · green water · oxygen depletion · whales · krill · murky · nutrients · coastal