NASA Discovers Something Unexpected in the Biggest Lake in California 2024

NASA’s Landsat 9 satellite made an unexpected but significant finding while photographing Clear Lake, the largest lake in California.

The lake was now visibly visible from space, its color having turned a vivid green. But the satellite photos showed that the lake’s green hue might be the result of an algal bloom.

NASA Discovers Something Unexpected in the Biggest Lake in California

Swimming and boating are popular activities in Clear Lake.

One of California’s oldest lakes is Clear Lake. It is most frequently used for boating, swimming, and fishing. It is located 60 miles north of San Francisco Bay.

It is unlikely that these activities will take place over the next two weeks while the algae is cleaned and eliminated, though, given the risks this algae bloom poses to people.

Wildlife Systems Are Supported by Clear Lake

NASA Discovers Something Unexpected in the Biggest Lake in California

The way that Clearlake supports wildlife systems is one of its key features. It has nourished these systems for 500,000 years, but at that age, it is beginning to endanger them.

Numerous bird species, such as bald eagles, pelicans, and ducks, as well as huge numbers of fish are among the fauna that are sustained. But because of the algae in the water, several of these—fish in particular—have been discovered dead.

Lower Oxygen Levels Caused by Algae

Toxins produced by the algae are one of the reasons wildlife dies in these waters. Additionally, the algae lowers the water’s oxygen content, making it impossible for species to breathe.

This draws attention to the serious environmental problems posed by nutrient pollution and climate change, particularly when warm temperatures encourage the growth of algae.

The Presence of Algae Has Increased Due to Human Activity

Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, have been present in Clear Lake for a considerable amount of its long history. But over the past century, because of human activities, it has become more widespread.

This algae may have originated from non-native carp that had disturbed nutrients in the sediment of the lake bed, runoff from adjacent farms, vineyards, defective septic systems, gravel mines, or an abandoned open pit from a mercury mine.

throughout general, algae blooms throughout the summer.

Warm weather is necessary for algae to grow, and they usually bloom in the summer. There have been instances like this throughout Clear Lake’s history.

Nevertheless, this bloom is the earliest on record and at one of the lowest levels ever seen because it occurred just before the summer. It is probably the outcome of climate change causing warmer temperatures to occur outside of the summer.

The Dangerous Effects of Algal Blooms

Algal blooms can have a variety of consequences on people, many of which are detrimental. For this reason, activities in the lake are prohibited until the issue is fixed.

Toxins that can harm the liver are released by certain cyanobacteria species. Many symptoms, including headaches, irritated eyes, and asthma, can be brought on by coming into contact with the algae.

The Price of Blooms of Algae

There are other health risks associated with these algal blooms as well. Dealing with them comes at a cost to the country’s economy as a whole. The annual expense of this is more than $50 million.

This covers expenses for tourism, recreation, health, fishing, and monitoring. This algae is present in about 1,200 lakes in the United States and is predicted to spread, hence costs will only go up in the coming years.

Clear Lake Algae Testing

Since 2014, the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians has conducted water quality tests. They are aware of the periods of the year when algae is most likely to be more common since they test the water at certain times.

In the past ten years, algae have emerged at the earliest time of the year. This is one of the worst algal blooms Clear Lake has ever seen, even though the water has turned the usual vivid green at this point.

Within a Week, the Algae Bloom Expanded Quickly

The first assessment of the lake’s toxicity was conducted on May 8, a week before the NASA photos revealed the water’s green color. There was no bloom visible at this time.

The lake and the same period in 2023 were also contrasted. The water in 2024 was a vivid green color, yet the results and the water in 2023 were both quite clear.

A Tool for Analyzing Water Quality Was Used

An instrument for analyzing water quality was used to do preliminary testing on the water. The tool displayed phytoplankton and plant levels of chlorophyll-a, a pigment that absorbs sunlight, as well as an index that estimated the concentration of cyanobacteria, which rose throughout the first part of May.

Sentinel-3’s ocean color instrument was used to compute these estimates. Through further investigation, the NOAA National Ocean Service also determined that May was the highest water level.

Testing of the Algae Is Required

More research is necessary to determine the kinds of bacteria present in Clear Lake because phytoplankton was also discovered in the water.

After this testing is finished, it will be clear how the water may be treated to remove the phytoplankton and algae, hopefully reducing the problem going forward.

NASA Makes Unexpected Discovery in California’s Largest Lake (msn.com)

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