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Satellite and aerial images of Baltic algal bloom
photo: ESA
Here are some pictures of the large bloom of blue-green algae currently covering 377,000 sq km of the Baltic Sea. The satellite picture comes from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the aerial photos are from the Swedish Coast Guard.
Large carpets of algae create dead zones in marine environments and are a human health hazard because they spread cynanobacteria. Swimming in affected areas should therefore be avoided.
From a BBC News report:
This accelerated growth also reduces the amount of oxygen available to other plant and animal species in the affected area; raising fears that it could destabilise fragile marine ecosystems.
Algal blooms occur in the Baltic every summer, but this year the northern European sea is experiencing its largest bloom since 2005. Scientists state that unusually warm temperatures, a lack of wind and the run-off of agricultural fertilizers into the sea are contributing to the problem.
Affected countries include Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Poland.
photo: Swedish Coast Guard (kustbevakning)
Graham Land
Additional resources:
Deutsche Welle – Algae bloom suffocates life in the Baltic Sea
Tags: aerial, algae, algal, Baltic, Bloom, Coast Guard, ESA, European, photo, satellite, sea, Swedish
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