Sea Lion Convulsions From Algae; "Longest-Lasting, Highest Toxicity & Densest Bloom We've Ever Seen"

[hatrack]

A sea lion on a Washington beach curls into a fetal position, shuddering. Then it contorts its neck, craning its head into the air, clearly in distress. NOAA researchers in Washington were horrified by this recent footage from Long Beach:

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The cause of the seizure? Domoic acid poisoning, caused by the sea lion's exposure to a massive, record-breaking bloom of the algae Pseudo-nitzschia that stretches from California to Alaska. Researchers have never seen a bloom this size. The chains of algae they found on a recent research trip "looked like it was grown in a lab."

Trainer told Reuters: "It's the longest lasting, highest toxicity and densest bloom that we've ever seen." So what's causing the bloom? Scientists are still studying it, but there are at least two candidates: increased ocean acidification and warming oceans.

Plankton, including algae, form the base of the ocean's food chain. They serve as a food source for larger creatures and one of the prime sources of oxygen in the atmosphere. The plankton population has been on a marked decline in recent years, which is scary enough. However, a recent Rolling Stone article by Eric Holthaus cited a study led by Stephanie Dutkiewicz at MIT showing that acidifying oceans, caused by increased carbon in the atmosphere, can throw off the balance of the plankton population, causing significant changes with profound implications for other species that depend on them.

EDIT

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/15/1412366/-Sea-Lion-Seizures-Toxic-Algae-and-the-Nightmare-Scenario-for-the-Oceans

[daleanime]

1. kick, kick, kick....

[abelenkpe]

2. K&R

[dhill926]

3. have seen this behavior on the Central Coast....

it's heartbreaking....

[Bill USA]

4. canary in the coal mine?

[Judi Lynn]

5. These animals are too precious to end like this.Hope the solution will come as soon as possible. n/t