The sudden change in the color of the Bosporus Strait, which divides Europe and Asia, surprised the residents of Istanbul. Scientists associate metamorphosis with the increase in the abundance of one of the species of plankton in the Black Sea.
Unexpected transformation of the blue waters of the Bosporus into milk-turquoise usually worries the Istanbul residents from the weekend. Some believe that there was a spill of toxic substances. Others suggest that a change in the color of the water is due to the earthquake that shook the Aegean region on Monday. But scientists say that there is no mystery in the color change of water.
Ahmet Semal Saidam, a professor at the University of Hacettepe (Turkey), said that the reason was an increase in the number of microorganisms Emiliania huxleyi, also called Ehux. “It has nothing to do with pollution,” he said, adding that what happened is especially good for anchovies, a popular dish in Istanbul.
“Throughout the Black Sea,” the explosion of the number of Emiliania huxleyi is a blessing for the Black Sea, “he said.
One of the most successful life forms on the planet, Emiliania huxleyi is a single-celled organism, visible only under a microscope. Its admirable ability to adapt allows it to thrive in waters from the equator to the subarctic belt.
The change in the color of the water in the Black Sea was also recorded by NASA’s Terra satellite. NASA reports that the dairy coloring “is probably due to the growth of a special phytoplankton called coccolithophora.” Emiliania huxleyi is a kind of coccolithophores. “This organism is covered with white calcium carbonate and, when present in large quantities, tends to give water a milky ebb,” says NASA.
