Just as Turkey was finally breathing a sigh of relief after getting rid of the thick, slimy substance known as marine mucilage, or sea snot, covering the Marmara Sea, an expert has warned that the nightmare may not be over yet.
Professor Mustafa Sarı, the dean of the Maritime Faculty in Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University in Balıkesir province, told Demirören Agency (DHA) on Sunday that the mucilage did not disappear, it settled at the bottom of the sea as "mucilage mud."
"If the sea surface temperatures increase, there is a sufficient amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in the sea. There are still pollutants," he said, explaining that since there has been no change in sea conditions, the Marmara Sea may encounter a new mucilage crisis.
Sarı noted that people were afraid when the mucilage was first seen, but they fell into complacency after it started disappearing from the surface. "Are we saved? I am sorry but we did not get rid of it because mucilage developed as a result. In other words, it is an ecological disaster due to the original, stable binary current system of the Marmara Sea," he said.
"So we cannot say that we got rid of the mucilage since there was no large-scale change," said Sarı, pointing out that "unless the causes change, the results stay the same."
Stating that they have not encountered mucilage on the sea surface, for now, Sarı said that a rise in sea temperature may trigger the mucilage again. Highlighting that there is excessive algae growth in the Marmara Sea, Sarı said, "We can happily say at the moment that there is no mucilage in the water column that is visible on the sea surface, at least not as much as last year."
However, he reiterated that last year's mucilage did not fully disappear.
Elaborating on the team's process and observations, he said: "At the moment, the visibility in the sea is very low. My team and I are constantly monitoring the situation with weekly dives. We are diving around the Marmara Sea voluntarily. The common observation in all of these dives at the moment is that there is excessive algae growth. Because the nitrogen and phosphorus load in the sea is very high."
"Compared to last year, the Marmara Sea is 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) colder now. Accordingly, we are fortunately not faced with an intense mucilage formation yet. However, if sea surface temperatures increase, we may encounter a new formation," he added.
Field studies in partnership with Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and Akdeniz University continue to gauge and manage the risk of the mucilage nightmare in Marmara affecting the Mediterranean.
The teams have examined Arapsuyu and its surrounding water resources after the Kırkgöz basin.
Field studies have been ongoing in water bodies throughout Antalya since September in order to avoid a mucilage problem in the Mediterranean, Akdeniz University Faculty of Fisheries Dean professor Jale Korun said, explaining: "We take samples from the stations we have determined. These samples are analyzed in the laboratories and we evaluate the results."
"For example, if there is excess nitrogen or aluminum in a place, we come together to evaluate and work on measures. This project will last for three years, we have obtained the results of the studies done so far. We will share these results with the public in the coming days," she added.
The mucilage problem, which has plagued the surface of the Marmara, reached a level that could be described as catastrophic last year. The natural phenomenon, blamed on the increase in organic pollutants and rise in sea temperatures, greatly affected tourism and fishing.
Mucilage is an overgrowth of microscopic algae called phytoplankton caused by rising seawater temperatures due to global warming, stagnant water and pollution. It was detected in January 2021 and intensified and expanded in April, resulting in a serious problem, contrary to previous instances where it usually disappeared in a month to 45 days. As it continued to increase in intensity in May and June, Turkish authorities announced the 22-point Marmara Sea Action Plan to tackle the surge. The plan was jointly carried out by the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry, Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry and the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry. The health and interior ministries, among other bodies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and coastal municipalities under the coordination of governorships, also took part in the plan.
The plan was followed by a massive land and sea cleanup campaign. In areas near the shores, sea snot-covered sections of the sea were marked and the mucilage was drained by vacuuming equipment. At sea, boats collected the mucilage and brought it to land for disposal at waste collection sites.
After the intense sea cleanup campaign, Turkish authorities stated that the sea had been cleared of mucilage. However, aerial images captured mucilage layers on the sea surface in Maltepe in February.
