1998 was a very hot year as we know. (Next hottest behind 2005 and 2010?) Maybe there was extra water vapour in the atmosphete that exacerbated the flooding...? We can't really rule it in or out I guess.
I agree that algal blooms can be triggered by industrial fertilizers and pollutants. It seems to me that hypoxic waters mixed with such pollutants is a disatrous scenario for fish and bad news for global fish stocks, which are rapidly diminishing anyway. Jeez, I don't want to sound more like an alarmist than I already am, but this extremely alarming!
Looks like some of the dead fish in Redondo beach were recycled as fertilizer. Do I see a possible feedback loop happening if this fishy fertilizer is washed back into the ocean and triggers an algal bloom?
