Over two decades, the world's oceans have undergone a quiet but profound transformation — one that only became visible when artificial intelligence was trained to read the accumulated testimony of 1.2 million satellite images. Researchers from the University of South Florida and NOAA have documented a global surge in floating algae blooms, with macroalgae expanding at 13.4 percent annually in tropical waters since 2003, marking what scientists call a regime shift from an ocean where such blooms were rare to one where they are becoming ordinary. The forces behind this change — warming seas, agr
AI analysis reveals unprecedented global algae boom reshaping ocean ecosystems
Coastal communities face economic losses, public health threats, and tourism disruption from algae decay and foul-smelling blooms reaching shorelines.