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Felix Andrews, Wikipedia
Algae or algal bloom is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system. This occurs in marine and freshwater environments. Only one or a small number of phytoplankton species are usually involved. Blooms may be recognized by water discoloration as a result of high density of pigmented cells; the blooms are often green but can also be yellow. There is no officially recognized threshold level, but algae can be considered blooming at concentrations of hundreds to thousands of cells per milliliter, depending on the severity.
Most algae are not harmful and serve as the energy producers at the base of the food web. While there are thousands of algae species in existence, only a few dozen in the food web are known to be toxic. Harmful algae blooms (HABs) are microscopic, single-celled plants. However, these toxic species produce potent neurotoxins that can be transferred through the food web where they can affect and even kill higher life forms such as zooplankton, shellfish, fish, birds, marine mammals and even humans that feed either directly or indirectly on them.
Algal blooms are a result of an excess of nutrients, particularly phosphorus. Excess carbon and nitrogen have been suspected as causes but not proven. Blooms may result from climate changes as well as human activities such as increased pollution, habitat depletion, and resource harvesting. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration puts out a bi-weekly bulletin providing information about developing blooms and changes in the location and extent of existing blooms.
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