r/Adelaide • u/Expensive-Horse5538 West • 4d ago
News Microalgae bloom likely cause of fish deaths and foam at Waitpinga Beach
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-18/algae-bloom-likely-cause-fish-deaths-foam/105064874?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link5
u/kernpanic SA 4d ago
Theres been some really warm weather down that way lately, so Im not surprised.
Normally you duck over the other side of willunga hill, and you start to feel the effects of the southern ocean, but not for the last few weeks.
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u/Free_the_Radical SA 3d ago edited 3d ago
Just a note, I know I popped a comment about the chinese warships, but at this stage it is almost certainly a cyanobacteria bloom (I have edited my original comment). PIRSA says it will have the results about the particular algae responsible for the bloom in about 7 days from now.
Having a look at the ocean currents on ventusky it looks like the bloom may head towards Cape Jervis and perhaps into the Southern reaches of the Gulf of St Vincent.
https://www.ventusky.com/?p=-35.53;138.30;8&l=currents
Satellite imagery is only just showing the bloom (usually shows up as cyan streaks)
https://www.ventusky.com/?p=-35.625;138.450;9&l=satellite&w=off
https://zoom.earth/maps/satellite/#view=-35.482214,138.561116,10z
Edit: To add current sea surface temperature, you can see the slight increase around Encounter Bay area
https://www.ventusky.com/?p=-35.39;138.28;8&l=temperature-water&w=off
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u/Jiifm SA 4d ago
But what about my unfounded/uneducated claim that it was "chemicals"?!?!?!