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ChickenFlavoredSocks t1_itqiuq5 wrote

Reply to comment by themeatbridge in Argentine Patagonia experts determine cause of death of whales found on shores by hernannadal

Red tides are more than anything due to nutrient pollution. Development of coastal and riverine wetlands has significantly decreased the nutrient uptake that occurs before water flows out to the sea, and agriculture and home fertilizer use cause large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus to be present in run off when it rains. Nitrogen is the limiting factor for the growth of marine plants and algae, so adding excess nitrogen significantly contributes to these blooms.

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Art-Zuron t1_its7wpm wrote

They also like warm water iirc, which is caused by climate change.

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ChickenFlavoredSocks t1_itslo3c wrote

It’s true that climate change does contribute, but it’s also worth noting that without human disruption of natural biogeochemical cycles (like the nitrogen cycle), even with climate change, we’d see significantly fewer harmful algal blooms. Algae do like the warm water, so when combined with excess nutrients the algal blooms only get worse. It’s just not really reasonable to point to climate change without mentioning nutrient pollution, which is far more impactful on algal blooms.

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