The winter storms undoubtedly rendered a great service to Brittany. Shaken by several strong gusts of wind, the region should not undergo massive stranding of green algae, according to observations by the Center for Study and Development of Algae (CEVA). Not yet, in any case. "Given the very small quantities currently present, strandings of green algae on the Brittany coast should be generally late in 2020," said the prefecture of Brittany in a statement.
If storms play an important role, it is because they disperse the algae stocks of the previous season. Last year, the winter was calm and massive groundings were observed early in the season. This should not be the case in 2020, according to CEVA, which conducted an overview of the Brittany coast on April 22 before submitting its conclusions. “Breton berries are almost free from ulvae. The coverage of sandy bays is among the lowest observed for April ”. Last year, the situation was reversed and the strandings had been massive as we mentioned in this video.
But there remains a factor that the weather god does not control: the concentration of nitrates. From agriculture, these discharges slide into waterways and cause the proliferation of green algae at the mouth. If these releases decrease, they persist every year.
A warm spring that calls for caution
Seaweed mats have thus been observed in mud flats in the Etel ria and in certain sectors of the Gulf of Morbihan. Caution is advised as the hot and sunny spring that Brittany is experiencing could contribute to the proliferation of algae.
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- Algae
- Green algae
- Agriculture
- Reindeer
- Planet