A permeable woven fabric (HDPE or polypropylene) suspended above water on an anchor frame. Blocks 50–95% of sunlight, suppressing algae, but is vapour-permeable.
Shade mesh is a permeable woven fabric — typically HDPE or polypropylene — suspended above a water body on an anchor frame. It blocks 50–95% of incident sunlight depending on mesh density, which suppresses algae photosynthesis. Because shade mesh is vapour-permeable, it does not materially reduce evaporation. Shade mesh is appropriate for algae-only suppression on small water bodies where the 3–7 year lifecycle and the anchor-frame engineering are acceptable.
Also known as: shade cloth, algae shade