00:00A California lake has turned green, and photos showing the emerald waters are now visible
00:08from space.
00:10Satellite images taken by NASA suggest that Clear Lake, north of Napa Valley in San Francisco,
00:17may be infested with a type of blue-green algae strong enough to poison humans and animals,
00:23according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
00:26County officials say that overall, algae is essential to the freshwater lake's health
00:31and aquatic ecosystem, but this bloom can cause skin irritation and gastrointestinal
00:37issues, plus deplete water's oxygen levels, creating dead zones that kill fish and other
00:44aquatic life.
00:46Clear Lake's waters once closely resembled its name, but it started becoming noticeably
00:51murkier in the 1920s due to agriculture and mining activities in the area.
00:58Officials report the number of blooms in the lake has increased in recent years and expect
01:02that the potential for blooms will increase in the coming decades.
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