This is probably why the Seal/Bird/Fish populations around the UK have crashed in recent years, as the blooms affect everything up the food chain.

The cause...
Severe flooding inland pushing nitrates and sewage out to sea which feeds the algae blooms

simon, Norwich, UK

Yes, this is cropped. The print edition had the full image. The actual bloom is between Cornwall and Brittany, or was at the time this particular image was taken (it's moved west now, if I recall).

Ben, Plymouth, UK

Didn't I hear somewhere that this was a potential planet saving reaction to global warming - with the planckton eating up all the CO2 and lowering the greenhouse effect??

John, Oxford,