NASA captures eerie green swirls from space on Nevada Lake. Here's what it is

NASA spotted an intense eerie green swirl developing on the Pyramid Lake in northeastNevada from space. This mysterious green swirl is nothing but an algal bloom which develops across the 125,000-acrePyramid Lake every year, however, 2024 has become a year of "one of the most active bloom events seen in years."

What is the green swirl in Nevada lake?

NASA's Landsat 9 satellite took images of the green swirl and the Paiute Tribe said that the colouring was so deep because Nodularia spumigena was present at higher levels.

Nodularia spumigena is a kind of cyanobacteria, which is also called as blue-green algae. It is commonly present in warm and brackish bodies of water and adds green hues to the water every year.

Although, the algae appears pretty, it can release dangerous toxinslike microcystin which cause irritation in the skin and also lead to damage in the kidney and liver if ingested.

The algae levels of the lake are monitored by Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and people have now been warned that they should not come into contact with the water at any cost.

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"We always want to make sure to make people aware of that, so that they would either not bring their animals out or they would restrict them and have their own safe drinking water," said Aaron Bill, water quality programme manager with the tribe's natural resources department, while speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"The bloom material is breaking down and is releasing the toxin microcystin into the water, which signals the turn towards normal conditions that may take 2-3 weeks to normalise," he added.

Pyramid Lake is situated nearly 35 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada and attracts many kinds of fish and birds which makes it a popular place for wildlife enthusiasts.

(With inputs from agencies)