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This chapter discusses the harmful or exceptional phytoplankton blooms in the marine ecosystem. Phytoplankton blooms are natural phenomena that play an important role in relation to carbon and energy flow, as well as geochemical cycling in marine ecosystems. Phytoplankton growth will occur wherever and whenever adequate light and nutrient (both macro- and micronutrient) conditions occur. Blooms (accumulations of phytoplankton biomass) will result when the combined effect of population loss factors (grazing, advection and lysis, or sedimentation) is less than the biomass accumulation due to growth of the phytoplankton and via advective processes. It is estimated that the world's phytoplankton flora consists of approximately 4000 different species. Of these, about 200 species have been identified as “harmful” or “exceptional” phytoplankton blooms. About 2% of the world's phytoplankton …