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 speculated the colour could have been caused by Azolla, a genus of seven species of aquatic ferns.
He said the pond is normally filled by fresh water, urban stormwater and run-off.
9news.com.au has reached out to Sydney Olympic Park Authority and New South Wales Environment Protection Authority for comment.
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.”
