A fire-red lake
Lake Tovel, in the Trentino region, is known all over the world for the exceptional phenomenon of the “reddening of its waters”. During the hottest hours of some summer days, large portions of the lake surface took a deep red colour, offering an incredible sight. The spectacular colour was due to the strong concentration of a unicellular alga of the group Dinoflagellata, the Glenodinium sanguineum (also known as Woloszynskya coronata). This alga, which is just 1/50 mm long, under specific stress conditions, stores special pigments, called carotenoids, which make it look completely red. 1964 was the last year in which the reddening phenomenon appeared as clearly as usual; since then, the alga, although still living in the lake, has not reached the concentration it takes to ”inflame” the waters. Since 2001, the Provincia Autonoma di Trento has funded a research project for investigating the factors that are responsible for the missed reddening of the waters of Lake Tovel. The goal of the project is not to restore the conditions that in the past led to the flowering of the alga. The only purpose is to acquire all that information and details on the peculiarities of Lake Tovel that the local administrators need to make the best choices on the future of the lake. Lake Tovel is located in a lovely region, which attracts tourists and hikers, like many Alpine lakes, and is a precious water supply for the agriculture of the valley of the Trentino region, a reservoir of drinking water and, what’s more, an added value given by the phenomenon of the reddening of its waters.
Special reports
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
-
18 December 2020
The Christmas Star Tradition
Let's discover together stories and legends about the Christmas Star...
24 November 2020
The glow of duck-billed platypuses
It's easy to answer "which is the strangest animal?". The answer: the platypus. These strange creatures live only in Australia…
-
12 October 2020
Crispr-Cas9, the gene factory
Nobel 2020. The biochemists Emmanuelle Charpentier, French, and Jennifer A. Doudna, from the United States, were awarded the most important…
10 May 2020
A virus’s life
What are viruses Virus is a Latin word meaning poison. Viruses do not eat, breathe, move or reproduce on their…
29 February 2020
Let’s find out about viruses
Parasites at the edge of life Virus is a Latin word meaning poison. Viruses are pathogens (they make you ill)…
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
-
18 December 2020
The Christmas Star Tradition
Let's discover together stories and legends about the Christmas Star...
24 November 2020
The glow of duck-billed platypuses
It's easy to answer "which is the strangest animal?". The answer: the platypus. These strange creatures live only in Australia…
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
-
3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
From the Multimedia section
Facts
-
Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...
-
Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...
Bread and cheese, wine or beer
Yeast is used to make wine, beer and bread. When mixed with the bread dough...
-
13 May 2011
Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
-
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...
-
Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
-
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...