California’s Clear Lake turns green with algae, visible from space, NASA says

Local public health officials have warned visitors.

California’s largest freshwater lake has turned a vibrant emerald color due to a massive algae bloom. The intensity of flowering is so extreme that POT captured it in satellite images taken in mid-May.

The culprit for the vibrant hue could be cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, along with other types of phytoplankton. A popular center for fishing, water sports and recreation (nicknamed the “Bass Capital of the West”), Clear Lake spans 68 square miles in Northern California, about 100 miles north of San Francisco.

Local public health officials have warned visitors, urging them to be on the lookout for algae blooms. This includes keeping pets away from water and avoiding areas that appear discolored, have foam on the surface or emit a bad odor, according to the democratic press newspaper.

“The appearance of cyanobacteria in Clear Lake is not unusual, but it occurred earlier and in greater abundance than in typical years,” the newspaper said.

The current levels of toxins in the water are being analyzed. The Great Valley Band of Pomo Indians has been monitoring water quality in the lake for the past decade. “This year has the first blooms since the tribal program began sampling lakeshore cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in 2014,” a Clear Lake water quality report reported. Facebook annotated page.

While archaeological evidence suggests that humans have inhabited the area around Clear Lake for a staggering 12,000 years, sediment samples reveal that the lake has supported significant populations of algae for an equally vast period. However, recent human activity has upset this historical balance.

As reported by NASA, these activities include runoff from nearby farms, vineyards, malfunctioning septic systems, gravel mines, and even an abandoned mercury mine. This unfortunate combination has contributed to the decline in water quality in Clear Lake.

Scientists around the world are expressing concern about the increasing frequency and toxicity of algae blooms, attributing the trend to factors such as global warming and the rise of industrialized agriculture. Clear Lake appears to be another example of this worrying trend.