Billions and billions of tiny, microscopic creatures are the reason why the waters of Trinity Bay have suddenly turned a bright turquoise.
A tiny species of phytoplankton, known as Coccolithophorids, has suddenly exploded in population.
A microscopic image of phytoplankton (submitted by Dr. Cynthia McKenzie)
Invisible to the naked eye, they contain scales that catch and reflect the light, causing the water to appear a bright colour, visible not only on the shore and water, but also from space.
DFO researcher Dr. Cynthia McKenzie, who studies the creature, says conditions – including sunlight and low wind – are right for their sudden population explosion.
She says such blooms are not unusual and the colour comes not only from living phytoplankton, but from their dead shells.
“To give people an idea of the scale, the white cliffs of Dover for example, they’re made of coccolithophorid blooms. So somewhere in Trinity Bay now, there are layers and layers and layers of coccolithophorids that may some day become the white cliffs of Trinity Bay.”
