00:02As complex as it is catastrophic, a report released by the state government analysing the causes of the harmful algal
00:10bloom.
00:10There's not a single smoking gun, there's not one particular environmental factor that was the culprit for this algal bloom.
00:17In fact it was a convergence of many different things.
00:21We know that at this stage there's nothing that we can do to prevent a harmful algal bloom occurring, but
00:26what we can do is be more prepared.
00:28The report found that the bloom developed and intensified during an unprecedented marine heatwave.
00:34It says that while temperature alone isn't to blame, associated calm conditions, reduced wind mixing and enhanced water stratification or
00:43layering were key to enabling the harmful Karenia algae.
00:47A record coastal upwelling was another contributing factor, along with nutrient-rich waters from the 2023 River Murray flood.
00:54It is a good technical report. I'm looking forward to seeing a huge pile of data to go with it,
01:01rather than just the dot points.
01:03The report's key findings were published in February. The government wouldn't release more until it could be peer-reviewed. That
01:10happened in May.
01:11I am unsurprised that a peer-reviewed report has been sitting on the desk for months.
01:20This is the most comprehensive investigation yet undertaken into the algal bloom, but there's still a lot that scientists don't
01:27know, including how much of a role each of the identified factors played in the bloom's development.
01:34Work to be continued by the new Office for Algal Bloom Research.
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