FOAM
A NATURALLY OCCURING PHENOMENON
It is a common misbelief that foam is caused by someone discharging laundry detergents into the lake causing the suds on the lake. This phenomenon is often the result of natural processes, not pollution.
The foam that appears a long lakeshores is most often the result of the natural die-off of aquatic plants. Plants are made up of organic material, including oils. When the plants die and decompose, the oils contained in the plants cells are released and float to the surface. Once the oils reach the lake surface, wind and wave action pushes them to the shore. The concentration of the oil changes the physical nature of the water, making foam formation easier. The turbulence and wave action at the beach introduces air into the organically enriched water, which forms the bubbles.
Oftentimes, waters that originate from woody areas will have a brown tint in the water. The brown tint is caused by the presence of tannin, which is a substance that gives wood its brown color. The tannin is released during the decomposition of wood along with other materials that cause foaming when they are introduced to water.
