Cyclone Rusty sparks massive North West algal bloom ALGAL BLOOM: Cyclone Rusty, which dumped heavy rain and brought strong winds to the Pilbara has sparked a massive algal bloom off Port Hedland. THE impact of ex-cyclone Rusty is still being felt off the coast of Western Australia, with scientists reporting an algal bloom the size of Tasmania stirred up by the monster storm. The residents of Port Hedland may have been largely spared the wrath of Rusty as the category four cyclone crossed the northwest coast last week but the surrounding environment has been severely affected. Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi from The University of Western Australia says Rusty has stirred up the ocean off WA like no other weather pattern. Nutrients stirred up from the sea floor have resulted in a massive bloom, estimated to be as big as Tasmania, of microscopic plants called phytoplankton. Prof Pattiaratchi said since Rusty's passage, the ocean's turbidity levels had exceeded the maximum range of measurement instruments, including a remote-controlled underwater glider that travels from Broome towards Scott Reef, about 200km offshore. ``Turbidity is caused by the action of both waves and currents, and the data collected shows that the speed of the ocean currents almost doubled. ``The glider gives us an opportunity to collect data under extreme conditions. We couldn't have done it otherwise.