The sea off Thailand's popular tourist island of Ko Lan turns bright green and gives off a strong, grassy smell on Oct. 1, 2026 as a plankton bloom spreads across the water, keeping some swimmers out of the sea. Dense patches of green could be seen stretching along parts of the shoreline, with jet skis floating in the discolored water, while other stretches of the beach remained unaffected. The intensity of the color varied, with some areas appearing more vivid green than others depending on water currents and the density of plankton in different patches. Plankton blooms are seen as a natural, recurring phenomenon caused when nutrients from land wash into the sea, feeding rapid plankton growth. But blooms can be worsened by human activity, including agricultural fertilizer runoff and nutrient-rich wastewater entering rivers and canals before reaching the sea.
VIDEO BY REUTERS
Check out our Streaming Channel: https://streaming.manilatimes.net/
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
