Blood lake in the lower Karwendel: "I've never seen anything like it in the Alps"

Created: 06/15/2022, 05:37

By: Veronika Ahn-Tauchnitz

The pond in the Vorkarwendel has turned bright red.

© Michael Mannert

The picture looks almost unreal: the water of the small pond in the front Karwendel has turned bright red.

Experts have an explanation for the phenomenon.

Lenggries - The photo looks like it has been edited.

The water of the small pond shimmers bright red in the midst of lush green alpine meadows in the shadow of the sheep rider.

He travels a lot in the mountains, writes reader Michael Mannert, who took the photo.

"But I've never seen anything like it in the Alps." At about 1700 meters he came across the blood lake during his tour in the lower Karwendel.

By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Bad Tölz newsletter.

Karwendel blood lake: Gaißacher Almbauer has observed the phenomenon before

As the former chairman of the alpine farming association, Georg Mair knows the alpine pastures in the area very well.

He has already seen the phenomenon.

"It's not new, it happens again and again - it's been going on for decades," says the Gaißacher.

He has also observed this on the Ludernalm in the Lärchkogel area.

Blood Lake in the Karwendel: There was something similar on the Issboden under the Patscherkofel

He suspects an alga behind the phenomenon.

The lower nature conservation authority at the district office also assumes this.

A quick internet search by the authority showed that there had already been something similar on the Issboden below the Patscherkofel in Tyrol.

The Tölzer have now passed on the information.

"The colleagues from the Karwendel Nature Park were not yet aware of the phenomenon, but were informed by our nature conservation authority and are investigating the matter," says Sabine Schmid, press spokeswoman at the district office.

Blood lake: It is assumed that Burgundy blood algae are behind the phenomenon

Friedl Krönauer, district chairman of the Bund Naturschutz (BN), also looked at the photos.

"I suspect that this is due to an increased occurrence of the so-called blue-green algae, a type of bacteria." Although they are usually blue-green, they can also have a red color.

The red blue-green algae are commonly referred to as Burgundy blood algae.

"The reasons for a strong increase in blue-green algae are increased nutrient inputs into the water and higher temperatures," says Krönauer.

The death of the algae happens "with a high oxygen depletion of the water, which can be problematic for the aquatic life".

You can find more current news from the region around Bad Tölz at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.

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"Who still needs the Caribbean?" is the message on social networks, where rows of photos of Lake Tegernsee are posted.

It is unusually green.