There's a Surprising Connection Between Dangerous Algal Blooms And The Himalayas

[Judi Lynn]

(Norman Kuring/NASA)


CARLY CASSELLA 9 MAY 2020

A loss of snow and ice on Earth's highest mountain peaks could be driving dangerous changes in the food chains of distant coastal water, according to new research.

Like a gardener turning over soil, cold winter winds blowing down from the Himalayan mountains are known to fertilise the Arabian sea by chilling the surface and causing the dense waters to sink, only to be replaced with fresh currents rich in nutrients.

Due to climate change, however, winter monsoons are rapidly becoming warmer and moister, leaving marine habitats with less oxygen and nutrients, and allowing microbes that thrive in an oxygen-depleted wasteland to bloom instead.

Recently, it's gotten so bad, the thick green swirls of algal blooms can actually be seen from space.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/shrinking-snowcaps-in-the-himalayas-might-be-driving-harmful-algal-blooms-in-the-arabian-sea

[dhill926]

1. environmental death by a thousand cuts....

this is scary...