The color of the Black Sea has changed. Is it dangerous to your health?

This unusual color is the Black Sea, especially off the coast Russia And the Georgiathanks to the presence of phytoplankton, to be exact coccolithophorus (Coccolithophyceae) – Single-celled autotrophic microorganisms coated with white calcium carbonate. They are microscopic in size. The size of a single organism ranges from 2 to 30 micrometers.

When coccolithophorus It reflects the sun’s rays a lot and makes the water a light blue. Although this kind of Phytoplankton Appears in May, the largest development, and therefore an attractive appearance, occurs in June. The scenic effect of the whole is added by the movement of the water, thanks to the appearance of visible swirls.

A problem arises with the high water temperature during the summer period cyanobacteria bloomWhich are dangerous to health due to the toxins produced. coccolithophores They do not produce such toxins, and what’s more, they can play a greater role in the carbon dioxide circulation in nature than we think.

as optical beings absorb carbon dioxideBut in the precipitation process calcium carbonate is released back into the environment. This delicate balance is very important for the environment. They are also often classified as a type of phytoplankton, containing a slightly different type of chlorophyll.

Although before flowering coccolithophorus The color of the sea is more in keeping with its name, but this does not mean that there are no phytoplankton there. In early spring, diatoms appear, which bloom easily when the water is rich in nitrogen and phosphorous.

In early spring and summer, the lack of storms and sunlight that warms the surface layer of water favors the vertical thermal division of water (lower, colder), which favors development of cocolithophores. The appearance of storms and strong winds in late summer leads to more intensive mixing of the water and the supply of nutrients to the larger diatoms that begin to dominate.

Phytoplankton are food for other aquatic organisms. Seasonal change in dominant species may influence the structure of the Black Sea food web. Fabulous coccolithophorus They are food, among other things, for what is equally exceptional Noctiluca scintillans, known for its bioluminescence. Small diatoms, in turn, are food for small fish and large jellyfish.