Australia’s devastating Black Summer bushfire season gave life to a bloom of phytoplankton larger than the size of Australia in the Southern Ocean, a study has found. An international team of authors found the bloom, that took place between New Zealand and South America, was unlike anything measured before in the area. The research published on Sept. 15, used satellite data to understand how the fires were responsible for the algae bloom. “The phytoplankton bloom in this region was unprecedented in the 22-year satellite record and lasted for around four months,” co-author Professor Peter Strutton said. “What made it more extraordinary is that the part of the season when the bloom appeared is usually the seasonal low point in phytoplankton, but the smoke from the Australian bushfires completely reversed that,” he continued. Scientists followed the large aerosol plumes from the bushfires that reached altitudes of 16 kilometres (10 miles) and …
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