Dead Zone From Plankton Bloom Off Coast Thailand Puts 260 Mussel Farms in Danger

(Photo : Pontus Lundahl / Getty Images)
A plankton bloom off coast Thailand created a dead zone, putting almost 260 mussel farms at risk.

Thailand's 260 mussel farms along the coasts of Chonburi are in jeopardy when a severe plankton bloom caused a dead zone off the shore.

Plankton Bloom Creates Dead Zone

The livelihood of local fishermen who cultivate mussels in the waters is threatened by an extremely intense plankton bloom that is creating an aquatic "dead zone" off the eastern coast of Thailand.

According to marine biologists, some sections of the Gulf of Thailand have more plankton than the annual expectation, coloring the water a vibrant green and destroying marine life.

This is the worst bloom Tanuspong Pokavanich, a marine scientist, has ever observed. Later, Pokavanich described the plankton bloom as the most severe he had seen.

According to Satitchat Thimkrajong, head of the Chonburi Fisheries Association, more than 80% of the 260 plots along the region's famed mussel farm coastline have been impacted.

Plankton Blooms in Thailand

Plankton blooms normally last two to three days and occur once or twice a year, according to scientists. By reducing the oxygen in the water and obstructing sunlight, they can kill marine life or release chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

Scientists believe that pollution and the extreme heat brought on by climate change are to blame for the massive plankton bloom, even though the exact cause is yet unknown.

El Niño, according to scientist Pokavanich, causes dryness and warmer water temperatures. If people do not change how they handle resources, water waste, and how people live, everything will get worse.

The plot of Fisher Suchat Buwat was one of those impacted. He claimed that the bloom had cost him more than 500,000 baht, or roughly $14,000 and that his peers had suffered "unfathomable" losses as well.

Experts attribute the natural occurrence to climate change after a plankton bloom earlier this year caused hundreds of dead fish to wash up along an expanse of beach in southern Chumphon province, Thailand.

According to studies conducted in the lab, the plankton is of the Noctiluca species, which also bloomed in 2020.

Pokavanich noted that even though El Niño is rumored to be occurring elsewhere in the world, its effects are unquestionably being felt along Thailand's coasts.

He claimed that because El Niño occurs at the same time as the bloom, which also occurred in 2020, scientists feel that it is to blame.

However, research on this topic is still ongoing.

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Dead Zone

Dead zones are areas in water bodies where aquatic life can't survive due to low oxygen levels, mainly caused by nutrient pollution. They are most problematic in bays, lakes, and coastal waters receiving excess nutrients from upstream.

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus lead to rapid algae growth, forming algae blooms that consume oxygen and block sunlight from underwater plants.

When these algae die, oxygen is further depleted, making it impossible for aquatic life to thrive.

The largest US dead zone, about 6,500 square miles, occurs annually in the Gulf of Mexico due to nutrient pollution from the Mississippi River Basin.

Some algae blooms produce toxins, leading to harmful algal blooms in various water bodies, endangering human health and aquatic life. These blooms are mainly caused by cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.

Elevated nutrient levels and algal blooms can contaminate drinking water for nearby communities, causing health issues for animals and humans.

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