Bosphorus waters to remain turquoise-tinged until the end of June

ISTANBUL

AFP photo

The waters of Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait will retain their turquoise color, caused by phytoplankton, until the end of June, Professor Bayram Öztürk from Istanbul University has stated.

Öztürk, from the university’s aquaculture department, said the phytoplankton will remain prominent until the end of the month under current weather conditions.

“It is expected that the phytoplankton, which breed at a certain temperature, will continue to tinge the Bosphorus turquoise until the end of the month so long as weather conditions continue as forecasted,” he said.

“Phytoplankton causes a change in color because it lowers the oxygen rate, though this fact generally does not harm other natural living creatures,” Öztürk added.

Late in May, NASA had noted that the color of the Black Sea had changed due to a phytoplankton bloom. 

Phytoplankton consists of floating, microscopic organisms that make their own food from sunlight and dissolved nutrients. In general, phytoplankton can support fish, shellfish and other marine organisms.

However large, frequent blooms can lead to eutrophication – the loss of oxygen from water – and end up suffocating marine life.