Hundreds of dead carp have been turning up in a lake in Newark, California, much to the surprise and dismay of locals and visitors.
People visiting the man-made lake have taken photos and documented the bodies floating at the surface, according to reporting by KTVU.
The culprit – low oxygen levels in the water, exacerbated by the recent heat wave as a result of climate change, according to early findings by the city.
Nonprofit agricultural research organization, The Noble Research Institute, has said that warm water physically cannot hold as much dissolved oxygen as cold water. During summertime, that means that the maximum potential for dissolved oxygen is lower than other times of year.
Another contributing factor is that some plants grow more during the summer than during the rest of the year. A byproduct of photosynthesis is oxygen, so during the day when the sun is out, plants put oxygen into the water. But when the sun goes down, plants use the oxygen along with everything else in the water, including fish, creating a high demand.
If the plants and animals use more oxygen during the night than is available, then the fish will die.
Dissolved oxygen levels are highest in the afternoon and lowest right before dawn.
The Public Works Department said they are adding fresh, oxygenated water to the lake.
