At its peak, that bloom covered 1, 930 square miles, making it more than twice as big as the freshwater sea's second-biggest bloom on record, which happened three years earlier.

WSJ: Report predicts ever-bigger Lake Erie algae blooms

Progammes include the Global Sea Level Observing System ( GLOSS), regional tsunami warning systems and the Harmful Algal Bloom Programme ( IOC-HAB).

UNESCO: Ocean industries and the scientific community join forces to monitor the ocean | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization