Report of a phytoplankton and water quality survey made in the ‘Sukkursu canal, Salina, in connection with a ‘red water’ episode in June 2017

Abstract

The present report was commissioned from the Department of Biology (DoB), Faculty of Science, University of Malta, by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) following the occurrence of a ‘red water’ episode in the Sukkursu Canal, Salina, Malta on the days immediately preceding 19 June 2017. This ‘red water’ event may have been caused by an ‘algal’ bloom. This therefore necessitated the collection of water samples from the canal for surveys of phytoplankton, in an attempt to identify the species causing the algal bloom, and for determination of water quality to assess the potential cause of the episode. The DoB commissioned the present authors to undertake the necessary studies.