Waterloo biologist explains the science behind Rio’s green pools

Monday, August 15, 2016

green pool rio

The green water of Rio’s outdoor Olympic pools has baffled athletes, organizers and spectators but not Waterloo Biologist Kirsten Müller. She is fairly certain that algae is the culprit.

Although low chlorine levels, minerals and copper can also cause water to look green, it’s the cloudy appearance of the water that suggests the presence of an algal biomass.

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