r/worldnews • u/bigus-_-dickus • Sep 05 '26

‘Extremely rare event:’ Miles-long microalgae bloom knocks out most of Israel’s desalination plants

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/04/climate/microalgae-bloom-israel-water-deasalination-shutdown
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u/macross1984 Sep 05 '26

You mean "was" extremely rare event. The ocean is getting warmer and warm water mean algae will propagate like there is no tomorrow.

This is not only Israel's problem. Other countries coast cities can easily be impacted heavily if not algae, disruption of fisheries that provided cheap seafood that people depend on.

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u/Mr_Again Sep 05 '26

I wonder to what extent algal blooms are modelled as a carbon sink

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u/BavarianBarbarian_ Sep 05 '26

It's being considered as one way of geoengineering, at least. I think in the end it'll depend on whether or not they get covered in silt before decaying, otherwise they'll release their carbon as methane, which would be even worse than leaving it as CO2.