JUNE 2019. DISCOVER 9
TOXIC GREEN WAVE
Fish-killing algae blooms have become a growing problem on Lake Erie, and the summer of 2017 was particularly bad. A research
plane caught this bright green bloom that August, looming near the lake’s western shore. High-flying, high-tech cameras detect
different types of algae, while researchers on the water collect samples, backing up the camera’s readings and giving water
engineers timely data for treatment strategies. (A boat wake is visible at bottom center.) The blooms — which thrive in sunshine,
warm water and still air — typically feed on fertilizer runoff, but scientists don’t know why only some algal blooms, like this one,
produce toxins that are fatal to fish. — ERNIE MASTROIANNI; PHOTO BY ZACH HASLICK/AERIAL ASSOCIATES PHOTOGRAPHY INC.
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