Lake Erie Algae Bloom Satellite
Potential for bloom movement is forecast in 3 dimensions with a hydrodynamic model using satellite imagery and currents.
Lake erie algae bloom satellite. The experimental lake erie harmful algal bloom hab tracker model is no longer running. Noaa s great lakes environmental research laboratory collaborated with the noaa national ocean service to transition the model output into the operational noaa lake erie hab forecast product. A large algae bloom covered nearly the entire western basin of lake erie in the summer of 2017. This image originally appeared in the nasa earth observatory story toxic algae bloom in lake erie.
Cyanobacteria algal bloom from satellite in western lake erie basin images last updated. From nasa s polar orbiting terra satellite shows the algal bloom on august 5 2019. This map models bloom position from date of satellite imagery to a minimum of 96 hours from date of publication using water currents data from the lake erie operational forecast system le ofs. Noaa issues forecasts for lake erie after sampling confirms presence of the hab species microcystis during bloom.
The dominant organism a microcystis cyanobacteria produces the toxin microcystin which can cause liver damage numbness dizziness and vomiting on july 29 the national oceanic atmospheric administration noaa reported unsafe toxin concentrations in lake erie and have since advised. Update august 6 2019. 07 30 2020 click the next and previous arrows to view the most recent 16 usable images from the last 14 days. This map models bloom position from date of satellite imagery to a minimum of 96 hours from date of publication using water currents data from the lake erie operational forecast system leofs.
Such blooms were common in the lake s shallow western basin in the 1950s and 60s. The green scum shown in this image is the worst algae bloom lake erie has experienced in decades. Increasingly severe algae blooms on the lake are tied to the increasing number of animal feeding operations in the region. Michigan declared its portion of the lake impaired two years prior.
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. Phosphorus from farms sewage and industry fertilized the waters so that huge algae blooms developed year after year. Photo by photo by j w photography from annapolis.