Algae blooms are a growing global water threat !

“The water looks like someone painted the surface with green paint,” Davis said, according to NASA.

Sometimes, rapid growths of algae can form harmful toxins (though not all algae blooms do). With cyanobacteria algae, the most prevalent is microcystin, which in humans can cause abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, liver inflammation and hemorrhage, pneumonia, dermatitis and potential tumor growth promotion.

Humans can be exposed to cyanobacteria toxins through the mouth and skin when swimming in contaminated areas, drinking water, or showering with it.

Algae grows organically in freshwater and marine environments. But when conditions are right for it to multiply quickly, blooms can cause fish kills and damage to the rest of the ecosystem. When algae decomposes, it consumes dissolved oxygen in water. If enough oxygen is used, it creates a condition called hypoxia or so-called "dead zones" where fish and other life can't survive.

Algae blooms rely on natural warmth and light and can't be linked to just one cause. But one of the main factors in the Lake Erie algae blooms is thought to be increased phosphorous -- present in fertilizers (both commercial and manure) for agriculture and lawn maintenance, it enters the water way through runoff, where algae feeds on it.