BALTIMORE — A sulfur-smelling tide has been plaguing Baltimore's Inner Harbor for weeks, creating an unwelcome odor for visitors and residents enjoying the fall weather.
The malodorous water has left many wondering when the smell will dissipate, with some out-of-town visitors mistakenly thinking this is how Baltimore normally smells.
"So I'm just smelling like hot springs, like sulfur," said Caitlin Lee, who was visiting from Texas.
Baltimore resident Damar Speight described the odor.
Hear from Baltimore residents who are still dealing with the funk
"It's like a real bad smell. Like it smells like boiled eggs, but like mixed with garbage juice," Speight said.
Speight, a longtime Baltimore resident, emphasized this isn't normal for the area.
"It did not smell like this before. It ain't never smell as bad. I think since like the water changed colors and stuff or whatever, it made the whole Baltimore stink for real," Speight said.
Maya Gomes, an associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Johns Hopkins University, has been studying the sulfur tide and taking samples to better understand the phenomenon.
"So what we're doing is we're just trying to figure out exactly what type of bacteria it is," Gomes said.
The tides are caused by bacterial growth in the water, according to Gomes. She explained the scientific process behind the smelly occurrence.
"Throughout the summer, hydrogen sulfide tends to build up in the bottom waters and sediment of the harbor, because it doesn't have a lot of oxygen. Then in the fall, when it starts to get cold at night, all of the water at the surface gets cold and it gets dense, and it sinks, and then all that hydrogen sulfide comes up to the surface. And so that hydrogen sulfide is what gives the air that rotten egg smell," Gomes said.
Chris Luckett from the Maryland Department of the Environment said there's uncertainty about when the situation will improve.
"So we don't know for sure what it's gonna take to sort of wash all this out. It looks like the forecast that we're facing right now, coming weekend with a significant wind and rain, gives us hope that this might cause a change for the better, and that the situation will improve," Luckett said.
The Maryland Department of the Environment has clarified that the sulfur tide is not caused by illegal dumping.
Scientists are still learning about the conditions that create these phenomena.
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