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Pond shows amazing natural phenomenon - expert does not see this as a good sign

2023-01-13T09:44:46.808Z


Pond shows amazing natural phenomenon - expert does not see this as a good sign Created: 01/13/2023 10:34 am By: Martina Lippl A small pond in the forest near Sibbesse glows purple. Bacteria are apparently responsible for the discoloration. © Julian Stratenschulte/dpa The water in a pond in the municipality of Sibbesse looks almost magical. The surface shimmers purple in the light. Unfortunate


Pond shows amazing natural phenomenon - expert does not see this as a good sign

Created: 01/13/2023 10:34 am

By: Martina Lippl

A small pond in the forest near Sibbesse glows purple.

Bacteria are apparently responsible for the discoloration.

© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa

The water in a pond in the municipality of Sibbesse looks almost magical.

The surface shimmers purple in the light.

Unfortunately, what is behind this phenomenon is not nice at all.

Sibbesse - In photos, the small pond near Hildesheim looks unreal.

The water has turned a deep purple.

The purple pond is located in the forest near Sibbesse (Lower Saxony).

The state of the water can be read from the amazing color.

Apparently bacteria are responsible for the discolouration of the pond.

However, they are not a good sign.

Natural phenomenon: a small pond near Hildesheim glows purple

"Such typical discolorations often have the background that microorganisms are active there - and here they are very likely purple bacteria," said Hans-Heinrich Schuster from the lake competence center of the Lower Saxony state agency for water management, coastal protection and nature conservation in Sulingen (district of Diepholz).

These bacteria are often found in water bodies that are in an unfavorable condition.

This is because hydrogen sulfide is produced there via fermentation processes, which the bacteria can use together with light to carry out photosynthesis.

Natural pigments, so-called carotenoids, ensure the bright color of the bacteria and support them in photosynthesis in inhospitable environments.

Discolored Sibbesse pond: are purple bacteria dangerous?

Small bodies of water are often affected by these bacteria.

However, they could also occur in very deep lakes, where there is hardly any oxygen in the deeper layers, explained Schuster.

The expert advises against entering the waters.

However, the bacteria are not blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), which can sometimes have a reddish color.

These are even more toxic.

Blue-green algae can cause skin irritation, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

In Switzerland, a blood-red veil on the surface of Lake Zug caused a stir around Christmas.

The police released a photo and urged caution.

In this case it was a burgundy blood algae.

In high concentrations, this could be dangerous for animals.

The phenomenon of the Burgundy blood algae was discovered by a hiker in a lake in Bad Tölz (Upper Bavaria).

In the summer, the whole lake lit up red on the surface.

(dpa/ml)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2023-01-13

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