#HTE

Here’s another favorite Overview from 2017 - a massive bloom of cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea. In August 2015, a bloom spanning more than 100 square kilometers covered these waters. Cyanobacteria are a type of marine bacteria that capture and store solar energy through photosynthesis. While some are toxic to humans and animals, large blooms can cause an oxygen-depleted dead zone where other organisms cannot survive. Scientists believe that blooms are more likely to form in the presence agricultural and industrial run-off or from cruise ships that provide excessive nutrients for the bacteria through the dumping of sewage.

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Source imagery: @NASA