Kīlauea volcano's ash prompted largest open ocean phytoplankton bloom, study reveals

When the Kīlauea Volcano erupted in May 2018, an enormous amount of ash was released into the atmosphere in a plume nearly five miles high. A new study by an international team of researchers revealed that a rare and large summertime phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in the summer of 2018 was prompted by ash from Kīlauea falling on the ocean surface approximately 1,200 miles west of the volcano. The research was published recently in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans.

Apr 9, 2025 - 19:14
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When the Kīlauea Volcano erupted in May 2018, an enormous amount of ash was released into the atmosphere in a plume nearly five miles high. A new study by an international team of researchers revealed that a rare and large summertime phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in the summer of 2018 was prompted by ash from Kīlauea falling on the ocean surface approximately 1,200 miles west of the volcano. The research was published recently in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans.