Here’s the likely reason. Plus, ANP Advisory for Bacteria in Sand Beach Lagoon
JUN 27, 2024
SOMESVILLE—The recently greenish waters of Somes Sound have inspired a lot of questions and an occasional joke amongst visitors and residents on Mount Desert Island.
And no, someone did not try to make a giant tequila sunrise. It’s also not dye either.
According to Kevin Lachapelle, a Maine Department of Marine Resources specialist based in Lamoine, they’ve been receiving reports of odd colored water in the sound and have taken water samples. He believes they have a likely culprit for the odd looking water.
Microbiologist Brianna King and Lachapelle, he said, “have taken a look under the microscope for phytoplankton and she thinks we may have seen evidence of a bloom of coccolithophores along with unsurprising amounts of some of our usual suspects (pseudonitzschia, scripsiella, dinophysis).”
This particular sort of phytoplankton is one-celled and exist together on the top layers of ocean water. They mass in large groups. Part of what makes them different is that they “surround themselves with a microscopic plating,” according to NASA. That plating is made from limestone.
The limestone scales are called coccoliths. They are hubcapped shape. Each is just three one-thousandths of a millimeter in diameter.
According to an article on NASA’s “Earth Observatory,” “A bloom is essentially an abundance of phytoplankton—tiny, plant-like organisms that often float near the ocean surface. Phytoplankton fuel the ocean by feeding other plankton, fish, and ultimately bigger creatures. They are also important carbon cyclers and oxygen producers.”
These blooms are common offshore, but not as common in places like Somes Sound. They are also usually found in nutrient-poor, sub-polar regions.
Lachapelle said, “A coccolithophore bloom would explain the color we are seeing, and some physical characteristics of Somes Sound might make it more susceptible to a bloom.”
“One of the main results of a coccolithophore bloom is that a lot of calcium is released when they die, which acts as a natural marine pH buffer,” Lachapelle said. “Brianna pointed out that the white cliffs of Dover are white because of calcium deposits from ancient coccolithophore blooms!”
These types of blooms are not known to have any negative effects on animal health, he said, but he and King will continue to monitor the situation. Dr. Jane Disney of the MDI Biological Labs also has a student heading out to the Sound today to get samples.
SAND BEACH LAGOON ADVISORY
Across the island, Acadia National Park put out an advisory for the lagoon at Sand Beach
“At Sand Beach Lagoon (not Sand Beach), bacterial levels have exceeded public health standards and a Public Health Advisory has been posted. The public is advised against swimming at Sand Beach Lagoon until bacterial levels return to healthful levels,” the Park wrote.
The lagoon is located behind the beach. Park officials are stressing that the ocean is not part of the advisory
According to the Bangor Daily News, “The water there was tested Tuesday, and the results revealed 404 bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters of water, which exceeds the threshold of 61 colonies per 100 milliliters set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Watch for advisory updates at go.nps.gov/AcadiaAlerts
Learn more at https://www.anecdata.org/projects/view/1307/pages/190
Update: This story was updated to correct a caption because I do not know my right from left still, and also to include the last paragraph from a recent Bangor Daily News article.
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