Fifty-mile-long algae bloom found in UK

Tue Mar 22, 2011

The Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) says a 50-mile-long algae bloom is floating between the Lizard in Cornwall and Salcombe in Devon, UK.

Scientists at the laboratory discovered the bloom off the southern coast of Cornwall and Devon and another off South East Ireland, using satellite images, the state-funded BBC reported.

The swarm of skeletonema is not harmful and has only come to the surface because of the warm weather, the laboratory announced.

"Skeletonema is a beautiful microscopic plant that, given the right conditions, reproduces rapidly to cover large areas of coastal seas,” said Earth observation scientist at PML, Dr. Peter Miller.

"Over the winter nutrients have built up in the sea and the windy weather we have experienced recently has stirred them up to the surface,” he added.

Plankton ecologist at PML Claire Widdicombe said the “timing of the bloom” was interesting.

"We would normally expect the spring bloom to be a few weeks later than this," she said.

The algae was discovered as part of the AquaMar project which uses satellite images to detect algae that might be a risk to humans and the fishing industry.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171136.html.