page_title: Foam line
section_title: Natural pollution
hierarchical_section_title: Foam line / Formation / Natural pollution
caption_attribution_description: English: A species of Iron Bacteria - Leptothrix discophora - on a pond at Kirtonhall Glen in West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
context_page_description: Foam lines are accumulations of foam, with trapped insects, exuvia, etc. found on the surface of freshwater water courses or bodies. Lines appear as individual islands of foam that accumulate against obstructions, shorelines, etc. Foam lines have some characteristics in common with sea foam from the marine environment which may form lines of spume as the tides rise and fall.
context_section_description: Foam lines are found on stream and river surfaces and banks when water is strongly mixed with air at waterfalls and where rocky substrates have fast currents of water passing over them. Loch or lake shores accumulate foam lines due to waves breaking against rocky substrates and outcrops. As stated, decaying plants and animals release dissolved organic compounds and these compounds lessen the surface tension of water to create the bubbles that adhere together to form the foam. Unlike with man-made pollution, the foam lines are found along long stretches as no one source exists.
caption: An oily sheen of 'iron bacteria' that contribute to the formation of foam lines
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