Save The River has been working with Dr. John Farrell of Thousand Islands Biological Station about the current emerald-milky appearance of the River.
Dr. Farrell has reported that this is a “whiting event. When photosynthetic plankton bloom and take up CO2 it can change the pH and cause calcium carbonate to precipitate. It is a natural event and should not cause harm.”
Dr. Farrell also said that “conditions this summer are conducive to algal growth – warm, sunny and windy. We’re seeing an abundance of macrophytic algae (Chara, Nitella, and the invasive Nitellopsis in bays many feet thick in places that comes to the surface… In protected areas with nutrient loading lots of filamentous algae like Cladophora and Spirogyra.”
The images below are from NOAA and show Lake Ontario. The left image is from 8/14/2020 and the right image is from 8/25/2020. These images and more can be viewed here.
Did you know?
The NYSDEC also monitors Harmful Algal Blooms. Thei notification system includes a reporting feature and an interactive map that is updated regularly. For more information please visit the NYSDEC Website.