As early as the 1930s, scientists have noticed that some white water spots discolored the water in the ocean in the Bahamas – which is otherwise very blue and shallow.
Various samples taken of the spots have shown that they are due to an abundance of fine-grained particles rich in carbonate.
However, it is unknown why the particles end up in the water every now and then, write NASA Earth Observatory.
The researchers have indeed observed such spots in other sea areas and lakes all over the world. Nevertheless, they cause confusion because they appear more often than is normal in the Bahamas.
Several experts have come up with theories and hypotheses about what leads to the white spots.
Ignored the advice – head ripped off
– But in reality there is no scientific consensus on what causes them, explained Chuanmin Hu, a marine scientist at the University of South Florida.
Now researchers from the University of Florida have again tried to find an explanation for the spots that have caused great confusion for a long time, without success.
They have nevertheless managed to find the answer to another thing:
Now they know how the size of the white spots is related to the seasons from 2003 to 2020.
It turns out that the biggest spots appeared between March and May. In the period October-December, however, they did not appear.
The researchers have also managed to find out that the spots had an average size of 2.4 square kilometers each.
