Satellites showed a "light show" in the coastal areas of the Earth

Fascinating views arose as a result of algae blooming in the water. From a great height, this phenomenon looks especially beautiful.

Chinese and American scientists have studied the volume and frequency of algae blooms along the coasts of various continents of the world. To do this, they used more than 700 images that NASA satellites took between 2003 and 2020. It turned out that over the past two decades, the intensity of water blooming has increased. The reason is global warming.

Algae are aquatic plants that contain chlorophyll, but do not have leaves, roots, stems, vascular tissue or flowers. They vary in size and color, and can inhabit both freshwater and marine systems. Algal blooming, that is, the development of phytoplankton, becomes more intense as its food sources, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, grow.

Excessive algal blooming can cause serious problems. For example, poisonous species can become carriers of toxins and poison fish, animals and people. There is another danger: the flowering process contributes to the depletion of oxygen reserves in the ocean, which can lead to the formation of extensive dead zones.