A sizable algae bloom was seen for miles down the Pacific coastline on Tuesday, turning the typical blue waters into a reddish-brown sensation that attracted considerable tourist attention. The "red tide" is also known as a phytoplankton bloom, occurring when a species of the organism known as dinoflagellates reproduce rapidly in warmer and calmer waters.
Typically occurring between Santa Barbara and San Diego, Heal the Bay Senior Director of Community Outreach and Connection Meredith McCarthy stated that while the blooms do occur in Santa Monica occasionally, it typically isn’t to this size.
"Usually it’s a seasonal [thing] but definitely these kind of super intense ones don’t happen all that often," McCarthy said. "We’ll definitely get some red tides up and down the coast, it’s a natural process, but when you have these sort of super blooms, the last really intense one we had was [around] 2005."
While no beach closures were announced due to the bloom, and the current phytoplankton emergence is non-toxic, toxic blooms caused issues in Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County and in Lake Elsinore earlier this year.
"We definitely pay attention to what’s blooming and what could cause harm," McCarthy added. "Usually you’ll have people [that] have different sensitivities, certainly to the algae or the different plankton."
She also stated that the bloom can stay anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months, depending on the wind factor.
"It’s partly the wind that caused this plankton bloom that uses the water offshore and [wind] allows for this upwelling, and it brings up all these nutrients from the deep … when you have [the] big winds that we had this week, it pulls the water off shore and brings up this nutrient-rich water. It mixes with this plankton, and it just needs a little sunlight, and you’ll have this massive plankton bloom, which is this red tide."
Algae agitation has also amazed beachgoers at night via bioluminescence, creating a dazzling blue light from ocean waves. The unique occurrences, McCarthy said, is a part of being "incredibly lucky to live here" and also sends a message that the environmental nonprofit needs to continue advocacy "to make sure that they keep … moving in the direction of being really healthy for people and marine life."
thomas@smdp.com