Anomalous colourations in surface water bodies: causes and examples reported by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Energy of Emilia Romagna (ARPAE)

Submitted: 29 April 2024
Accepted: 24 September 2024
Published: 9 January 2025
Abstract Views: 24
PDF: 9
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Surface water can exhibit a range of colours beyond the expected blue or green. These anomalous colourations can be triggered by different factors, both natural and anthropogenic, and not always are signs of pollution. This note explores the phenomenon of water discolouration, focusing on natural causes and analysing how factors such as algal and bacterial blooms influence water colour. The study provides examples of specific events that occurred in the Emilia-Romagna region and documented by ARPAE and highlights the importance of monitoring these colouration events in order to provide valuable insights into the health of water bodies and the surrounding environment.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Belila A, Abbas B, Fazaa I, et al, 2013. Sulfur bacteria in wastewater stabilization ponds periodically affected by the ‘red-water’ phenomenon. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 97:379-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-3931-5
Caumette, 1986. Phototrophic sulfur bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria causing red waters in a shallow brackish coastal lagoon (Prévost Lagoon, France). FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 38:113-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1097(86)90148-5
Caumette P, Guyoneaud R, Imhoff JF, et al, 2004. Thiocapsa marina sp. nov., a novel, okenone-containing, purple sulfur bacterium isolated from brackish coastal and marine environments. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Micr. 54:1031-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.02964-0
Emerson D, Revsbech NP, 1994. Investigation of an iron-oxidizing microbial mat community located near Aarhus, Denmark—field studies. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:4022-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.60.11.4022-4031.1994
Harder EC, 1919. Iron-depositing bacteria and their geologic relations. Available from: https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0113/report.pdf DOI: https://doi.org/10.3133/pp113
Imhoff JF, Süling J, Petri R, 1998. Phylogenetic relationships among the Chromatiaceae, their taxonomic reclassification and description of the new genera Thiocapsa, Halochromatium, Isochromatium, Marichromatium, Thiococcus, Thiohalocapsa and Thermochromatium. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 48:1129-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/00207713-48-4-1129
Johnson KW, Carmichael MJ, McDonald W, et al, 2012. Increased Abundance of Gallionella spp., Leptothrix spp. and total bacteria in Response to Enhanced Mn and Fe concentrations in a disturbed southern appalachian high elevation wetland. Geomicrobiol. J. 29:124-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01490451.2011.558557
Karl DM, McMurtry GM, Malahoff GM, Garcia MO, 1988. Loihi seamount, Hawaii: a mid-plate volcano with a distinctive hydrothermal system. Nature. 335:532-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/335532a0
Laza-Martínez A, Fernández-Marín B, García-Plazaola JI, 2019. Rapid colour changes in Euglena sanguinea (Euglenophyceae) caused by internal lipid globule migration. Eur. J. Phycol. 54:91-101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09670262.2018.1513571
Pfennig N, Trüper HG, 1992. The family chromatiaceae. In: The prokaryotes: a handbook on the biology of bacteria: ecophysiology, isolation, identification, applications. Springer, New York, USA. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2191-1_8
Rahman MM, Khan S, 2007. Noxious eulgenophytes bloom in fertilized fish ponds. Bangladesh J. Fish. Res. 11:7-18.
Trüper HG, Genovese S, 1968. Characterization of photosynthetic sulfur bacteria causing red water in Lake Faro (Messina, Sicily). Limnol. Oceanogr. 13:225-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1968.13.2.0225
Van Vuuren SJ, Levanets A, 2021: Mass developments of Euglena sanguinea Ehrenberg in South Africa. Afr. J. Aquat. Sci. 46:110-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2020.1799743
Wang J, Vollrath S, Behrends T, et al, 2011. Distribution and diversity of Gallionella-like neutrophilic iron oxidizers in a tidal freshwater marsh. Appl. Environ. Microb. 77:2337-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02448-10
Zimba PV, Rowan M, Triemer R, 2004. Identification of euglenoid algae that produce ichthyotoxin(s). J. Fish Dis. 27:115-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2761.2003.00512.x

How to Cite

Del Pasqua, M., Bandini, F., Morandi, E., Antonellini, R., Masi, M., & de Gioia, M. (2025). Anomalous colourations in surface water bodies: causes and examples reported by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Energy of Emilia Romagna (ARPAE). Advances in Oceanography and Limnology, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/aiol.2024.12600