While Italy is under quarantine due to major coronavirus outbreaks and less boat traffic is clogging Venice’s famous canals, wildlife has been spotted, specifically, dolphins and swans. But while the water looks clearer, it isn’t necessarily less polluted.
ABC News reports: “However, the transparent water isn’t so much a sign of better water quality as it is the result of the lack of boat traffic, which typically kicks sediment to the surface, Pierpaolo Campostrini, the managing director for the Consortium for Managing Scientific Research on Venice Lagoon System, told ABC News via email. The cold temperature of the water also plays a part, Campostrini said. At about 57 degrees Fahrenheit, there is little synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide, which doesn’t begin until about 62 degrees Fahrenheit.”
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Said one resident: “Venice hasn’t seen clear canal water in a very long time. Dolphins showing up too. Nature just hit the reset button on us.”
