Haad Chao Samran Sea turns green

[Thaivisa News]

Phetchaburi:- The sea at the Haad Chao Samran beach turns green like being polluted by algae Monday, prompting officials to advise tourists not to swim.

The sea appeared amber green in a phenomenon called by local people as the sea being polluted by whale feces.

Boonyod Maklai, mayor of Tambon Haad Chao Samran was informed of the phenomenon Monday afternoon. He rushed to the beach and found that the sea had changed its color from clear blue into amber green.

Boonyod in turn informed the Marine and Coast Resources Research Center for Upper Gulf of Thailand. The officials from the center rushed to collect sample of the sea water for lab test and the officials advised tourists against swimming in the sea until the sea turns back to normal color.

[Photo credit: Thairath Online]

Arkanay Guysorn, an environmentalist, said the phenomenon of sea changing color often happened at the beginning of the rainy season.

He explained that the phenomenon was caused by phytoplankton that grew in so large number that the microorganism caused the sea water to turn green.

Arkanay said the officials have yet to check the type of plankton in the lab.

Last week, the amber green sea water phenomenon happened at the Bang Taboon sea that is connected to the Mae Klong river.

He said when it rained heavily, the rain waters washed minerals from the soil into the sea and the phytoplankton absorbed the minerals and performed the photosynthesis. Then, the phytoplankton grew in so large number that the sea turned amber green.

Arkanay said the plankton also used up oxygen, causing fish and other sea creatures to move to other parts of the sear or else they would die.

The sun and strong wind would turn the sea back to normal in a few days, he added.

[Anthony5]

Looks like they have hired the wrong pool sea boy to take care.

[IMA_FARANG]

Such "algae Blooms" are not unusual. They result from some source of nutrients that are washed in to the sea.... often by a hard rain a few days before the bloom is seen.

In areas of intensive farming.... or for that matter areas where Shrimp or other shell fish are farmed and grown such blooms are often from nutrients being washed into the sea from overflows from the ponds and areas where Shrimp or Prawns are farmed.

Usually the trigger for the Algae bloom is Phosphorus or Nitrogen bearing water from the ponds, which triggers a rapid bloom of algae in the sea caused by that water.

Such a bloom can also be triggered by chemical fertilizers containing such Phosphorus or Nitrogen fertilizers applied to fields that are washed into the sea by a hard rain .

It's not an unusual occurrence in intensive farming areas next to the ocean.