In July 2019, a severe toxic algal bloom began spreading over the western basin of Lake Erie.
Published Aug 14, 2019Image of the Day Water Human Presence Remote Sensing Water Color
Algae covers much of Lake Erie’s western basin in these images, taken in early October 2011, when one the the largest blooms in recent decades spread across the lake.
Published Oct 14, 2011
A bloom of freshwater cyanobacteria is the source of the vivid green color in western Lake Erie.
Published Sep 27, 2017
Bright green waters reveal the presence of algae in Lake Erie.
Published Sep 27, 2013
Algae blooms, whiting events, and wind-stirred sediments are part of a dynamic yearly pattern in the surface waters of this Great Lake.
Published Jun 16, 2016
Cyanobacteria have become a regular summer phenomenon in Lake Okeechobee and Lake Erie.
Published Jul 18, 2018
A massive algal bloom and storm-churned sediment color the Great Lakes in this image from October 9, 2011.
Published Oct 13, 2011
While leaves and crops on land took on typical fall colors of orange and brown, the lake displayed vivid shades of green.
Published Sep 26, 2017
Sediments and algae swirled across the lake surface on the first day of spring.
Published Mar 24, 2012
Filaments of green scum swirl across the surface of Guatemala’s Lake Atitlán in this photo-like image taken by NASA’s EO-1 satellite on November 27, 2009.
Published Dec 3, 2009
Warm temperatures followed by an influx of nutrients sparked a series of phytoplankton blooms in the Louisiana lake.
Published Apr 10, 2018
An early summer algae bloom in Florida’s Lake Okeechobee has been blamed for affecting water quality downstream all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
Published Jul 6, 2016
Microcystis blooms have become a regular occurrence on the lake. In 2014, the bloom was especially intense around the water intake for Toledo, Ohio, causing managers to warn residents not to consume public drinking water for several days.
Published Aug 5, 2014Image of the Day Life Water Human Presence Remote Sensing Water Color
A large bloom of cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae, spread across Guatemala’s Lake Atitlán in green filaments and strands that are clearly visible in this simulated-natural-color image from November 22, 2009.
Published Nov 28, 2009
At an average elevation of 3,812 meters (12,507 feet), Lake Titicaca is one of the highest lakes in the world. The lake is positioned between two major ranges of the Andes Mountain chain and has very limited drainage. The limited outflow of the lake allows for the accumulation of nutrients derived primarily from surrounding communities’ agricultural and sewage waste. The increased nutrient levels can lead to plankton blooms. This astronaut photograph, taken from the International Space Station, captures two such blooms along the eastern shoreline of the lake.
Published Sep 20, 2004
The lake is mostly inhospitable to life, except for a few species adapted to its warm, salty, and alkaline water.
Published May 8, 2017
Lake Erie’s shallowness not only makes it more prone to fluctuating water levels, but also enables this lake to freeze and thaw more readily than its neighbors.
Published Mar 16, 2007
