What does blue-green algae look like?
Blue-green algal blooms can adversely affect the appearance, quality and use of water bodies. The water may be discoloured green, blue-green or greenish brown and several species can produce musty, earthy or grassy odours and sometimes cause foaming on the shore-line. During calm weather, blue-green algal bloom forming species can rise to the water surface to form a scum. This may look like paint or jelly. The colour of scums varies widely depending on the nutrient supply, light intensity and the age of the bloom. Consequently, scums may be blue-green, grey-green, greenish-brown or occasionally reddish-brown.
