When University of Hawaii oceanography professor David Karl saw the satellite images suggesting elevated chlorophyll levels in the ocean near Kilauea’s shoreline lava entry zone, he was propelled into action.

“This is a smoking gun. We’ve got to get out there,” Karl recalled thinking at the time.

Karl, who studies ocean microorganisms as director of UH Manoa’s Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, quickly found funding and organized a four-day ship expedition to Hawaii island.

Kilauea last month was pumping out voluminous amounts of lava, and this was a rare chance to see what was going on in the zone where molten rock meets the ocean. Seventeen scientists from institutions across the country signed on to join the cruise and conduct experiments.

As Karl suspected, the interaction of lava and the ocean had created a cyanobacteria algae bloom — photosynthetic microbes that absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

“We found that the chemistry of the lava interacts with the ocean to provide a nourishment, a fertilizer if you will, and that promoted the growth of plants,” he said.

This volcanic interaction had been theorized but never before proved. The researchers figure that iron and phosphorus from the lava and ash fueled the algae growth.

Water samples were taken and brought aboard the UH research vessel Ka‘imikai-­o-Kanaloa. They are now being analyzed at laboratories around the world, Karl said.

Two types of oceangoing drones were deployed to survey the region, and researchers conducted experiments that included measuring the productivity of the algae.

Research cruises are sometimes planned years in advance. This time, timeliness was essential because Kilauea’s flow to the ocean wasn’t going to last forever.

Karl and his team learned that Jackie Caplan-­Auerbach, a Western Washington University researcher and UH-Manoa alumna, was planning to deploy a series of seismometers at the ocean bottom near the shoreline in July.

Caplan-Auerbach agreed to share the ship, with the microbe hunters taking the second half of the Honolulu­-to-Hilo-and-back expedition.

The Manoa team also received funds for ship time from the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation. In late July the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded Karl and fellow UH oceanography colleague Edward DeLong more than $180,000 to advance the work.

With the grant, Karl was hoping to go back to the Big Island in October. But with the volcanic activity in remission, the team might have to turn to laboratory experimentation to help further determine the effects on the growth and metabolism of marine microbes.

“There’s a big data void in this area and a poor understanding of how the ocean operates,” he said.

Understanding the impact of the eruption on ocean microbes is critical to understanding how it will effect the whole marine ecosystem, Karl said.

The scientists will share their research and results during an Internet webinar Aug. 27.