Toxic Algae Bloom Off NW Washington State 30 Miles Across

[hatrack]

A mammoth bloom of toxic algae is swirling 15 miles off the northwest coast of Washington, the largest and most lethal growth yet found by local scientists studying the Juan de Fuca eddy. The bloom stretches 30 miles across and is being monitored by satellite to detect movements toward the coast, scientists said after returning to Seattle yesterday.

"There's an obvious question that people would worry about: Is this going to hit the coast? Within the next week, if there's a major storm, it's possible it might hit the beach," said Barbara Hickey, a University of Washington oceanographer. "But we've added additional monitoring on the north Washington coast."

EDIT

Hickey emphasized that the state tests coastal waters twice a week for the presence of domoic acid, a toxin produced by algae called Pseudo-nitzschia. In lower doses, the poison causes damage in the area of the brain responsible for learning and memory. At higher doses, it's deadly.

The toxin builds up in shellfish, particularly razor clams, tainting them for a year or more. The concentration of the poisonous algae in the eddy is as high as 11 million cells per liter, compared with about 200,000 cells per liter last year, the scientists found."

EDIT

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/192901_algae29.html

[Massacure]

1. I wonder why there is such a outbreak.

[kestrel91316]

2. I think I read somewhere..................

that excess nitrogenous wastes/pollutants wash into the oceans, then some microbes overgrow, suck all the oxygen from the water, and then these toxic algae thrive. Basically it's OUR doing. We can't seem to avoid f---ing things up, I guess.

[LibLabUK]

4. Yep...

It's called Eutrophication.

[amazona]

3. oh that's scary

I read a book a few years back about a scientist who basically lost his mind because of one of these toxic blooms. Without memory, it is surprising how little we can do to function.