I drove by Scudders Pond the other day, and was stunned to see the entire pond covered with algae. My first reaction was that it was beautiful, with all the abstract patterns that the algae made on the top of the water. So I got out my camera and spent perhaps 15 minutes looking for different photographs of the scene. I like this one the best. What a strange but beautiful landscape! Some algal blooms are the result of an excess of nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen into waters and higher concentrations of these nutrients in water cause increased growth of algae and green plants. Additionally a combination of environmental factors including temperature, sunlight, river flow and water storage levels and the water chemistry are all factors. But I would bet money that it has a lot to do with the high temperatures we have been having for weeks on end. So get this, the next day I drove by and there was no sign of the algae. I think the wind had blown it all down to one end of the pond.
This is so pretty with the shades of green, designs in the water and then a flowering bush in the background. We have an area of this on the bike trail and it is really different and beautiful. Love this photo and thank you for the interesting explanation of this mysterious phenomenon. Trace
ReplyDeleteVery cool photo with so many shades of green and abstract patterns in the water. Thanks for the sharing all the possibilities of cause and then Mother Nature changes it in a day.
ReplyDeleteJoan
It's amazing to think that algae could look beautiful. But it does! All those soft muted shades of green and the curves of the water makes this photo unique! betsey
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