After the water in the Averno crater lake turned red last week because of an unusually strong algae bloom, stretches of the sea in the Gulf of Pozzuoli also turned red recently, presumably from the same phenomenon.
Such algae blooms of the Averno lake usually happen in winter, when deep water is warmer than at the surface and rises along with algae that can multiply explosively. However, this year’s algae bloom, especially its extension into the adjacent open sea seems to be much stronger than what residents can recollect from recent memory. Many are worried whether there is a connection with the increased seismic and degassing activity of the caldera volcano:
Since the status of the Campi Flegrei has been on a first level of increased unrest for a while, many residents are concerned about a possible connection. A suspicion voiced is that the algae bloom in the sea could be due to an increased heat flow at the sea floor, as a result of increased volcanic degassing.
A connection of the algae bloom with the volcanic activity is not clear. There is no scientific assessment yet about it from the side of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) who monitor the activity of the volcano, but if the two are indeed connected, scientists will likely find out.
Earthquakes in the Campi Flegrei area remain above background. In the past 30 days, there were more than 175 quakes in the area, including 2 quakes of magnitudes of 3.5 and 3.6 under the Solfatara crater, on 16 and 29 March, respectively, which both were felt by many residents.
