A Sydney wetland has turned pink in an unusual sight that left a top scientist on a mosquito survey bemused.
Associate Professor Cameron Webb from NSW Health Pathology was surveying Sydney Olympic Park yesterday when he came across a pastel pink pond.
The wetland was in an “out of the way spot” within Bicentennial Park on the edge of a mangrove, a critical habitat that helps protect land from erosion.
“Wetlands are always changing but it’s usually shades of green and brown, to see a pink pond was quite a surprise,” he told 9news.com.au.
“The colour wasn’t something I was used to seeing in our wetlands, of course my mind went straight to thinking about what caused this bloom.”
Webb said the pond is normally filled by freshwater, urban stormwater and run-off.
9news.com.au reached out to Sydney Olympic Park Authority, which has since confirmed the bloom is due to azolla – an aquatic, free-floating fern that is found in still or slow-moving water bodies.
“While it normally appears green, with different weather conditions it can turn pink,” a spokesperson said.
“This change in colour at Sydney Olympic Park is probably due to some of the recent warmer weather.
“It is a natural phenomenon – and nothing for residents or park visitors to be concerned about.
“Like all waterways of this nature, residents and users are always recommended to avoid contact with the water.”
It looks like the type of place you’d whack on your travel bucket list
“With so much water in the environment after the rains and flooding, it creates perfect conditions for mosquitoes,” he said.
“As soon as warmer weather arrives we’re expecting a population increase.”