Browsing: Lake Erie

Cruising Life
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Algae Bloom in Lake Erie: 8 Times Larger than Cleveland

A toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie has grown to be eight times the size of Cleveland in the past few weeks. It’s so big that NASA is taking pictures of it from outer space. The bloom has now spread over 620 square miles, more than twice the size it was when NASA first measured it on July 30; then it was just the size of New York City. In its pictures, NASA says that “green patches show where the bloom was most dense and toxicity levels were unsafe for recreational activities.” Water in the lake is changing color because…

Cruising Life
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Toxic Algae Blooms Cover Western End of Lake Erie. Can Hurt Boating

Lake Erie is in trouble, or at least about 700 square miles of the western end of the lake are, and the problem seems to be getting worse. The surface of the lake there is turning bright green, as miles of algae cover the surface, often deep enough for you to write on. A similar problem two years ago kept boats out of the lake for six weeks or more. The New York Times reports that algae blooms, containing cyanobacteria with toxins that can contaminate drinking water, have been growing on the lake since 2000. They have increased as fertilizer…

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Beautiful – and Frightening – Winter Waves on Lake Erie

Winter waves on Lake Erie can be beautiful, as you can see in these photographs, but they also can be extremely dangerous. They can build to be more than 25 feet tall, but NOAA says Lake Erie is particularly known for its powerful seiches, which occur when all the water in the lake sloshes from one shore to another – think of what happens in your bathtub, writ large. Seiches and other waves don’t build up every day, of course, so photographer Dave Sandford often has to wait a long time to get the perfect shot. But his patience pays…