Natural History Wanderings

The San Francisco Chronicle reports

The harmful algal bloom that has now spread from the northern to the southern reaches of San Francisco Bay is the largest in over a decade, causing an unprecedented amount of fish to die and residents to question how close they should get to the water.

While scientists can’t yet pinpoint an exact cause of the bloom, which first began in late July, the fish kills are a sign that it has grown in intensity. The last major algal bloom in the bay, in 2004, was caused by a heat wave; that is not the case now. However, some say the record-breaking drought could be playing a role, and that more needs to be done to improve the bay’s water quality to prevent such algal blooms, which are expected to increase in intensity with climate change.

Read more at S.F. Bay’s algae bloom is the largest in over a decade. Here’s why it’s puzzling scientists