Algae Bloom Along Kona

Smelly, brown waters along the Big Island's Kona coast recently alarmed residents concerned that their shores had been polluted. Tests of the waters over the last two months by the state haven't found any raw sewage from land-based leaks or cruise ship discharges, but some West Hawaii residents remain unconvinced about the source of the two mysterious algae blooms in Kailua Bay and Keauhou Bay. "I know they said the water samples tested clean," said Paul Aguirre, a Keauhou resident and canoe paddler. "But what is it clean of? The algae must be feeding on something. ... That bay usually is bell clear. You can see the bottom, but no one has seen the bottom in some months now." The mystery of the two incidents hasn't been solved and likely will need much more testing. But scientists and state officials are not ready to sound any alarms. Algae appear seasonally -- typically in late summer in Keauhou Bay, for example -- and responds to higher water temperatures, circulation patterns and changing nutrients in the water...