Lakes and streams don't always look or behave the way we expect. Something that at first glance looks like pollution actually might be a natural phenomenon. Water can be full of strange colors, unidentified blobs, and swimming creatures, all part of the variation and diversity of the aquatic world.

Select a category of phenomena from the links above based on your observation or question. Wondering why your lake is green? Curious about the foam floating on the surface of stream pools? Want to identify that strange fuzzy blob in the water? What happens to lakes and rivers in the winter? This field guide will help you identify some common freshwater phenomena, and help you to distinguish pollution from something natural.

There are all kinds of cool, weird, and fascinating things waiting to be discovered in your nearby lake or stream. Go find out what's living in your world, and what makes it unique.

A print version of the Field Guide is available for download as a pdf document. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view this document.

Contact Catherine Schmitt at the Mitchell Center for more information:

207-581-3286 or catherine.schmitt@umit.maine.edu