That photo is from the Lincoln Park area, taken by Stani – one of several people who’ve pointed out this afternoon that the red algae bloom known as Noctiluca is back off West Seattle shores today.

We reported on sightings about a month ago too – same time the state Department of Ecology explained it here. It’s non-toxic, as Ecology’s post notes, but it’s not a good thing: “An increase in the abundance of Noctiluca is an indication of an unbalanced system, and while the plankton is not toxic itself, their presence creates a cascade of effects in the marine food web. … While Noctiluca are naturally occurring and blooms have been observed and recorded in Puget Sound since the 1940’s, there is growing concern that human-caused nutrient over-enrichment is increasing the intensity, changing the timing, and increasing the spatial distribution of Noctiluca blooms.”