Thailand’s mass fish deaths, plankton bloom, caused by climate change, expert suspects
- Global warming intensifies and increases the frequency of natural phenomena, such as coral bleaching or plankton bloom, university scholar says
- Worldwide, rising sea temperatures are a growing concern, with thousands of dead fish washing up in Texas and algal blooms along UK coast this year
Climate change might have stimulated a plankton bloom that caused thousands of dead fish to wash up along a 3- to 4-kilometre stretch of beach in Thailand’s southern Chumphon province, an expert said.
Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University, attributed the fish deaths on Thursday to the bloom – a natural occurrence that lowers oxygen levels in the water and causes fish to suffocate.
“Various natural phenomena, such as coral bleaching or plankton bloom, have naturally occurred for thousands to tens of thousands of years. However, when global warming occurs, it intensifies and increases the frequency of existing phenomena,” he said.
According to local authorities, plankton bloom happen one or two times a year and typically last two to three days.
Officials have collected seawater for further assessment and analysis.
Worldwide, marine heatwaves have become a growing concern this year, with thousands of dead fish washing up on beaches in Texas and experts warning of algal blooms along the British coast as a result of rising sea temperatures.