toxic algal Archives - Disasters News

California, April 2025: A disturbing wave of aggression by sea lions along California’s coast has left beachgoers alarmed. The animals, usually playful and calm, have begun attacking humans a behaviour scientists describe as both unprecedented and “demonic”. At the heart of this troubling transformation is a toxic algal bloom off the southern Californian coast. The algae, Pseudo-nitzschia, produces domoic acid, a potent neurotoxin that has infiltrated the marine food chain. Small fish consume the algae, and larger predators like sea lions feed on them, unknowingly ingesting the toxin. The result has been devastating: hundreds of sea lions lying sick along the coast, suffering from muscle spasms, confusion, and extreme aggression. Some have bitten surfers and beach visitors. While no ...

A team of scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory is leveraging artificial intelligence to forecast toxic algal blooms, known as harmful algal blooms (HABs), which have become increasingly common due to climate change and rising water temperatures. These blooms, which have now been reported in all 50 U.S. states, pose a significant threat to water bodies by closing beaches and lakes, killing aquatic life, and causing billions in economic damage. "Harmful algal blooms are appearing in areas where, historically, they were never present," said Babetta Marrone, the project's lead scientist. The complexity of the ecosystems causing these blooms, combined with dispersed data across various databases, presents a unique opportunity for AI to aid in understanding and predicting these events...

Tag: toxic algal

Toxic Algal Bloom Turns California Sea Lions Aggressive

AI to Forecast Toxic “Blue-Green Tides”: A Breakthrough in Battling Harmful Algal Blooms