With summer force to a close , an algal bloom of youth in Lake Erie that began shape around June is still going unattackable , bursting with a glow of emerald green ( or shouldthat be aristocratic ? ) .
The Landsat-9 satellite tear images of the algal flush in Lake Erie on August 13 , revealing it covered approximately 830 square kilometer ( 320 substantial miles ) of water within its westerly basin , accord toNASA Earth Observatory . It continued to grow to this time of year ’s in all likelihood largest extent of 1,700 straight kilometers ( 660 straight miles ) on August 22 .
The unusual greenish - blue colour is the result of microscopical organisms know as cyanobacteria that have been kicked into overdrive by tender temperature and an overabundance of food , such as nitrogen and phosphorous , from factory farm or manufacture .
Weather can further amplify these factors . In April 2024 , for instance , the smother sphere of Lake Erie received a downpour of record rainfall followed by an intense heatwave , providing the double-dyed fuel for this summer ’s bloom .
Lake Erie , the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes of North America , on a regular basis experiences algal flush , primarily because of nutrient runoff from the Maumee River .
As interesting as it may look , algal blooms can be grave for both wildlife and homo . Some of the most prevalent organisms in the Lake Erie flush areMicrocystiscyanobacteria , which produce the toxin microcystin . Thetoxinsbecome centralize in scum on the water ’s aerofoil , although theycan also be airborne .
spartan human health effects are fairly rarefied , but picture to cyanobacterial toxin is know to produce allergic reaction such as skin rashes , eye discomfort , and respiratory symptom , according to theEnvironmental Protection Agency .
farm animal and dearie can become very sick if they fuddle water pollute with toxins . Pisces are also known to suffer spate dice - offs in water bodies with persistent salad days . Toxins are part of the problem , but they also have to make out with a lack of O make by the abundance of microorganism in the urine .
NOAA ’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratoryhas eight station dotted in western Lake Erie to keep an eye on floor of these nasty toxins . Their data suggests levels of microcystin peaked earlier in the summer , around late July and other August , although tightness still remain gamy in other September .
datum like this , as well as detailed satellite imaging , fiddle a key role in understanding algal blooms and forecasting when they might strike . It might also provide some clues as to why freehanded bloom arestarting to occur for the first timein the other Great Lakes , such as Lake Superior . By no surprise , climate modification isa prime suspect .
