World News for Students of English

25-09-2023 07:00

An unusually dense plankton bloom is causing problems off the eastern coast of Thailand. It threatens local fishermen who grow mussels in these waters.

Marine experts say some parts of the Gulf of Thailand have more than ten times the usual amount of plankton. This makes the water look very green and harms marine life. Plankton blooms happen once or twice a year and usually last for two to three days. They can produce dangerous substances which hurt the natural world and kill marine life. It happens because they take oxygen from the water and block sunlight.

In Chonburi, which is famous for its mussel farms, plankton blooms affected more than 80% of the plots. This is causing big losses for fishermen. Scientists are not sure why this dense plankton bloom is happening, but they think that pollution and warming oceans can be the reason.

Difficult words: bloom (when plants have flowers), threaten (to be dangerous for someone or something), marine life (animals and plants which live in seas and oceans).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.