Lakes in Ontario covered by jello scum thanks to industrial pollution, new study shows

Once-pristine lakes in Ontario, Canada, are now coated by a jello-like layer of slime caused by decades of industrial activity, a new study reveals.

The scum coating now present on vast bodies of water in the province is due to the rapid growth of a new type of plankton which secretes the unpleasant goo, according to a team of researchers.

A team from Ontario, Canada discovered the strange phenomenon after analysing monthly surveys of Ontario’s lakes, which contained records of the local water chemistry over the past 30 years.

Acid rain, caused by nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions, appears to have displaced and forced out calcium from the drainage basins that feed the central lakes. The research found acid deposits have been steadily increasing since the 1850s, a time of rapid industrialisation.

Calcium-rich crustaceans such as the Daphnia water flea, which use the element to create a hard exoskeleton, have become vulnerable to predators and are now in decline. As Daphnia have declined, other plankton has taken their place, primarily the jelly-coated Holopedium, their numbers doubling over 20 years.

Holopedium only require one tenth of the calcium of Daphnia and their jelly coating also protects them from predators. The upsurge in Holopedium has led to the water becoming increasingly gelatinous.

The team claim that the massive increase in Holopedium will have a major impact on the ecosystem and the jelly could also block drinking water filtration systems.

Agencies/Canadajournal