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Bright green water at Chadwick Lakes is a natural phenomenon and had no significant harm on the marine species there, a leading marine biologist said. Many were alarmed to see the water at Chadwick Lakes turn bright green, however, expert Alan Deidun noted, tChadwick Lakes green water ‘natural phenomenon’
Bright green water at Chadwick Lakes is a natural phenomenon and had no significant harm on the marine species there, a leading marine biologist said. Many were alarmed to see the water at Chadwick Lakes turn bright green, however, expert Alan Deidun noted, the waters there normally turn green towards the end of the rainy season. This is mainly due to the high concentration of nutrients in the water. “These nutrients most likely leach from the surrounding fields after runoff from heavy rainfall, as a result of intense fertiliser use in local agriculture,” Prof. Deidun said. The nutrients fuel a bloom of phytoplankton populations in the water, turning it into a rather alarming shade of green. The phenomenon, a disturbance known as eutrophication, can result in the depletion of oxygen levels and in blocking out sunlight, necessary for marine life using the light for photosynthesis, Prof. Deidun said. Most of the species in the water were probably adapted to its occurrence, given the site was a heavily-impacted and disturbed one. The site was also “far from pristine”, he said. The phenomenon will fizzle out with the onset of the dry season in a few weeks’ time, he... Read more