Why is the water so green around southern B.C.?

If you've noticed the watersoff theshores of southern B.C. looking greener than usual, give yourself a pat on the back for being attuned to the shades of the sea.

There is a massive algae bloom in the Strait of Georgia, extending into Howe Sound, that's left the colour of the water looking more emerald than usual.

Waters off the southern tip ofVancouver Island, inDesolation Sound and around theMalaspinaInlet have also beenaffected.

The colour is so vibrant, it can be seen inNASA's satellite view of the area.

The scientist behindVancouver Island University's harmful algae monitoring program, sayscoccolithophoridsare the cause.

"Coccolithophoridsare tinyalgae with calcium carbonate scales," explainedNickyHaig. "They reflect the light so they givethischalky sort of blue colour to the bloom."

It'smixed with what she believes arediatomsin the water another group of algae and together, it'smade the water appear green.

Despitethe unusualcolour,Haigsays, the water should not be harmful to fish or humans.

"I was swimming in it this weekend and I'mstill fine," she said with a laugh.

Haigsayscoccolithophoridsbloom near B.C.during the summertime are normalbutwhere it's blossomed this year,is notable.

"It's a group that blooms quite often off the west coast of [Vancouver] Island in June or July of most years, but we don't usually see it in the Strait of Georgia."

She says she doesn't think warmer ocean temperatures are the cause, but it could be related to increasing ocean acidification which signals climate change.

With the bloom ongoing, she says more time and research is needed to truly understand what is going on in the water.

"It could be a climate change story, but it could also be a once in 20 year or 50-year event," she said. "We're stilltryingto figure that out."

With files from Elizabeth McArthur