Science: Plankton Foresee Quakes

Society | May 12, 2006, Friday // 00:00

Concentrations of the natural pigment chlorophyll in coastal waters have been found to rise prior to earthquakes.

These chlorophyll spreads are due to blooms of plankton, using the pigment to convert solar energy to chemical energy via photosynthesis, BBC reported.

A joint US-Indian team of researchers analysed satellite data on ocean coastal waters near the epicentres of four recent quakes and results of the research appear in the journal Advances in Space Research.

Data obtained reveal the chlorophyll blooms are linked to a release of thermal energy prior to an earthquake.

This causes the sea surface temperature to rise and increases the surface latent heat flux - the amount of energy moving from the surface to the air due to evaporation.

The scientists suggest that monitoring peaks in chlorophyll could provide early information on an impending earthquake.
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