Water quality tests in the lab
Monitoring nutrients and harmful algal blooms (HABS) in water

Chlorophyll A

What is chlorophyll A?

Chlorophyll A is the photosynthetic pigment that causes the green color in algae and plants. The concentration in a body of water is directly related to the amount of algae living in the water.

a body of water with floating vegetation and algae, the strong green hue is produced by Chlorophyll A
A body of water with floating vegetation and algae, the strong green hue is produced by Chlorophyll A

Why is chlorophyll A important?

By measuring, we learn how much algae are growing in the water. Although algae are a natural part of freshwater ecosystems, too much algae can cause green scums and bad odours, and in more serious cases can decrease the dissolved oxygen levels. Algae levels are also an indicator of a process known as eutrophication, which is a major and growing problem in Canadian lakes.

What does a measurement mean?

Water with excessive levels of nutrients from fertilizers, septic systems, sewage treatment plants and urban runoff may have high concentrations of chlorophyll and therefore produce excess amounts of algae.

Water Rangers Protocol

We do not currently have a test for this in our kit. Cutting edge scientists are currently working on methods to take this measurement using remote sensing images from satellites!