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Paper short abstract

Threatening the health of both humans and pets, algal blooms can be seen as recurrent ecological monsters. Their slimy expanses on the sea surface also evoke the threat of the ‘shadow fleet’ of aging oil tankers, yet another form of monstrous presence haunting the Baltic Sea.

Paper long abstract

Every summer, the Baltic Sea is visited by a recurring natural phenomenon: massive algal blooms. The biological drivers are well known – calm weather and intense sunlight accelerate the growth of phytoplankton. Several species produce toxins harmful to both humans and animals, requiring continuous surveillance by institutions such as the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).

For coastal populations, algal blooms represent a paradoxical threat. They are simultaneously obvious – covering large areas with visible, drifting mats – and elusive, since a single mouthful of contaminated water may or may not lead to illness. For pets and small children, however, the danger can be immediate and severe.

From satellites and weather charts, the blooms resemble vast, nebulous clouds. Media depictions often amplify their dramatic qualities, portraying boats and ships forcing their way through dense, viscous masses. This imagery lends the blooms a monstrous aspect: despite the familiar presence of the algal bloom in the maritime landscape, they appear as invasive, gelatinous creatures haunting the coastlines.

Algal blooms can thus be read as ecological monsters that resemble another maritime threat: oil spills. Their slimy expanses evoke the catastrophic presence of petroleum on the sea surface. Moreover, they are symbolically linked to the “shadow fleet” of aging oil tankers, yet another form of monsters trafficking the Baltic Sea, which pose a constant risk of rupture and contamination in the same vulnerable waters. Geological history deepens this connection, since the fossil fuels carried by these vessels originated in ancient plankton, transformed over millennia.