Nuisance odours produced by benthic cyanobacteria in a Mediterranean river

Geosmin dynamics in the Llobregat waters were related to the waxing and waning of benthic cyanobacterial mats developing in the river. Geosmin concentration in the water during 2002 reached a maximum of 204 ng L(-1), and coincided with an abundance of cyanobacteria in the river. Cyanobacterial mats were favoured by the high nutrient content of the waters. The cyanobacterial mats experienced a process of growth in thickness (attached forms), until they became unattached and drifted downstream (free-floating forms), accumulating in shallow areas of the river. Geosmin in the biofilm ranged from 0.55 +/- 0.97 ng geosmin per mg DW(-1) in the attached biofilms and 5.25 +/- 4.96 ng geosmin per mg DW(-1) in the free-floating biofilms. While the attached mats could be responsible for the local occurrence of geosmin at a given site, the free-floating mats became a relevant agent for the dispersion of the metabolite downstream. This impression was reinforced by the extremely high correlation between the geosmin content in the free-floating biofilm and in the water (r = 0.917, p = 0.00001). In order to reduce the geosmin concentration and accumulation of the cyanobacterial mats in shallow river waters, the nutrient content should be controlled and the natural flow conditions restored, to prevent the growth and accumulation of the geosmin-producing cyanobacterial mats.