Phytoplankton Blooms

Around the coastlines of the world, massive phytoplankton blooms—huge blooms of microscopic algae floating on the ocean's surface—have grown bigger and more frequent.
According to recent studies, massive phytoplankton blooms have grown bigger and more frequent around the world's coastlines, benefiting fisheries but also having the potential to be harmful.

Findings from the Study

The expansion: Coastal phytoplankton blooms grew by around 13% in size between 2003 and 2020, adding 4 million square kilometres to the world's oceans.
The frequency of blooming increased by 59% during this time.

Pros and disadvantages

While phytoplankton is consumed by marine animals like fish and whales, it can also be hazardous in considerable quantities, depleting the oxygen in the oceans and eventually resulting in "dead zones" that disrupt the food chain and fisheries.

Example: In 2016, a near-Chilean algal bloom damaged salmon farms by $800 million.

Global Contradiction

In contrast to the California Current, which experienced weaker blooms over the past 20 years, the northern Gulf of Mexico and the East and South China Seas both experienced stronger blooms.

Causes of the rise in phytoplankton include:

Regional differences exist in the increase in phytoplankton blooms:
In some instances, the boom is caused by rising sea surface temperatures.
The mixing of ocean layers and the movement of nutrients can be disrupted by climatic changes in the ocean.
Agricultural fertiliser runoff can increase the number of nutrients in the ocean, which can cause blooms (Eutrophication).
Increased aquaculture may be linked to higher algal blooms in regions like Vietnam, China, and Finland.
Moreover, areas, where residential garbage is inadequately managed, may contribute to an increase in blooms.

Phytoplankton

Water bodies contain small floating plants called phytoplanktons.

Importance

More than half of the oxygen in the environment comes from them.
They stop global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide produced by people.
In addition, they act as the foundation of the ocean food chain.

The following is a list of some of the most popular online dating sites. The ocean ecosystem's general health is based on its abundance.

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