the sea's way of throwing a massive, visible party for phytoplankton, then trashing the place.
means a rapid explosion of phytoplankton or algae population, often visible from space, triggered by nutrient surges in sunlit water.
from named simply because vast plankton swarms turn water green, red, or milky turquoise like a field of flowers; oceanographers borrowed the botanical word once satellites let them watch entire seas change color in days.
red tide florida — karenia brevis blooms kill fish and irritate lungs almost yearly
baltic sea cyanobacteria — summer blooms turn the whole sea surface toxic green
north atlantic spring bloom — tracked by nasa satellites since the 1990s, stretches for weeks
lake erie bloom 2014 — toxic algae cut off toledo's drinking water for 500000 people