Courtesy Elston Hill comes these photos – taken on Monday, July 17 – that show green algae blooms on the surface of Puget Sound off the shores of Burien. “Tides and wind bring it in and out past Burien,” Elston said. Far as we know, this current bloom is not considered dangerous. According to the State Department of Ecology:

Spring and summer are the time of year when sunshine and warm temperatures aren’t just making our lawns and garden plants grow, but are also contributing to algae blooms in our marine waters. An algae bloom is the visible appearance of millions of tiny plant-like organisms in the water. These tiny algae, or phytoplankton are present all year. The recipe for blooms is abundant sunlight, nutrients and the right water conditions. Most blooms are harmless, but some types of blooms can produce toxins that can make people sick if they are exposed to high enough levels of the toxins. Exposure can come from inhaling or swallowing water with toxins or from eating contaminated shellfish (that fed on the toxic phytoplankton).
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4 replies on “PHOTOS: Green algae is blooming in Puget Sound off the shores of Burien”

  1. Thank you for showing this to us Elston. Anyone know how these algae blooms affect the Orcas when they are in the same vacinity?

  2. Red algeas seem to be be the most toxic. Dont let your pets swim or drink from the red tides. Never had a problem with green algea. Hope a real professional can update us.

  3. Growing up down at Three Tree Point 50 years plus ago, we used to see ‘red tide’ 3 or 4 times a year, but the ‘green’ was less frequent. Different algae.

  4. Wondered that too? Nice to know that it isn’t considered to be detrimental to pets and people. I saw what I thought was a huge amount of seaweed washed in on Redondo, and lots of people out on the beach by Salty’s.

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