"Toxic algae that first turned up in the York River in 2007 hasn't merely taken hold — its bloom has exploded this summer in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond, expanding farther and lasting longer than scientists have ever seen before.

Water samples taken this summer show the algae, called Alexandrium monilatum, has spread from Virginia Beach to the James, York and Rappahannock rivers to the Eastern Shore. One marine expert suspects it has even reached as far north as the Potomac River.

Scientists say they don't know why a species common to the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Florida coast is suddenly thriving here."

Tamara Dietrich Hampton Roads Daily Press September 26, 2016. [2]