#University of Hawaiʻi SOEST

UH: Kīlauea volcano ash prompts largest open ocean phytoplankton bloom

April 19, 2025 · 4:00 PM UTC
A rare and large summertime phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in summer 2018 was prompted by ash from Kīlauea falling on the ocean surface approximately 1,200 miles west of the volcano.