NIOZ investigates seafoam following surfing drama
On the evening of 11 May 2020, five surfers died off the coast of Scheveningen. The question quickly arose as to whether it was the strikingly thick layer of seafoam that made the surfers unwell or suffocated them’. NIOZ researcher Katja Philippart does not have an answer to this. However now, together with colleagues from other institutes, she will try to determine under which conditions the foam can develop in such large quantities. Was there an exceptional situation on 11 May with respect to the concentration of foam algae, the timing of the algal bloom, or the hard wind, or was it a combination of these factors?
NIOZ has been investigating algae in the North Sea for 45 years. The species that causes such seafoam is Phaeocystis globosa, also referred to as the foam alga, which is frequently present in the North Sea. In April and May, this alga blooms and a sticky seafoam is the residual product of this. Due to a hard wind, for example, the foam can be further whisked up just like milk whisked up for a coffee.
On the website of NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research), and on the personal page of Philippart, you can read more about the research at NIOZ.
Newsletter Inside NWO-I, May 2020
Photo: Cees van der Velde