I had been wondering the same thing. I have observed what seems to be unusually high amounts of alagae in vernal pools across the state during the past several weeks. This was an anectdotal impression only, but it is good to hear that others are of the same opinion.
In attempting to think of a cause, I speculated that greater-than-usual light levels in the pools during the winter could be the culprit, as Steve suggests. However, I felt that lack of snow cover (and even ice during parts of the season) is what may have influenced light conditions the most. I'll be the first to admit that I know very little about algae, but other than temperature, increased light conditions was the only thing I could think of that was dramatically different this winter . . .
Jake
--- In vernalpool@yahoogroups.com, Steven Schwartz <drstevenschwartz@...> wrote:
>
> Here's my take on the algae: it has been warmer than usual this spring and with no leaves on the trees there is also plenty of light. With few grazers the filamentous algae can take off. The water itself is clear due to the presence of zooplankton which keeps the phytoplankton at bay. There has also been little precipitation to stir the ponds or for there to be much runoff. There is no shortage of nutrients in the ponds and so given the right conditions the filamentous algae grow. Might make for an interesting classroom experiment - vary the amount of light, or the amount of zooplankton or dilute the water. Just a thought.
>
> Steve
>
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