Pink Algae Bloom Sparks Fear
Recently the news about the red tides in George Town is going viral over the internet. Everyone like to know about this incident. The public is going over the internet to know more about this and not just that they also like to know if this kind of algal is going to leave any harmful effect on marine life. They all are going through the internet to know the answers to these incidents. To know more about this incident, keep following this article and find out what was the cause of these algal blooms.
Pink Algae Bloom Sparks Fear
A red tide, which is characterised by thick bands of algae blooms in gaudy, bright pink stripes all around the island, is wreaking havoc on the seas surrounding Penang. It’s good news that researchers have determined that this algal bloom is not harmful and won’t harm marine life that comes into touch with it. The vivid pink streaks were noticed around 100 metres off the shore at 11.30 am, and by 12.15 pm, the red tide had reached the beach, according to the sources. It was thick, and the vivid pink colour seemed so out of place at sea. It is simple to see how the algae adhere to one another to form a huge chain that extended for km.
When the red tide reached the beach, the waves broke it up, and by that point, the water by the shore had turned a dull pinkish red. “Some people at the beach started shouting for everyone to get out of the water, and there was a brief moment of panic,” he recalled. Despite how terrifying it may appear, scientists have determined that the algae are Noctiluca scintillans and that its only poisonous property is the presence of ammonia, which may scare off some fish.
A team from the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (Cemacs) at Universiti Sains Malaysia gathered samples of the algae and examined them under a microscope, according to marine biologist Professor Datuk Dr Aileen Tan. Red tides are not always fatal to aquatic life. According to her, certain copepods (tiny crustaceans) even eat Noctiluca scintillans in this situation. She also assured people that fish collected in the Penang area is still safe to eat. She noted that Penang and Kedah had lately experienced a few days of heavy evening showers, which is typical during the inter-monsoon season. “It starts with prolonged hot weather, followed by sudden substantial rainfall which sends nutrients pouring into the sea,” she said.
