Mass mussel mortality in The Netherlands after a bloom of Phaeocystis globosa (prymnesiophyceae)

A 10 million kg mussel mortality occurred in spring 2001 in the Oosterschelde estuary (SW Netherlands). At that time, a Phaeocystis bloom occurred nearby in the North Sea. Salinity data from within the Phaeocystis bloom and at the entrance of the Oosterschelde, reveal that the bloom was transported towards the mussels due to a change in wind direction, most likely followed by sedimentation and anoxia, leading to mussel death. This means that in addition to eutrophication, meteorological and hydrodynamical variability can be important in the magnitude and the localisation of the harmful effects of Phaeocystis blooms.