File:Swirls of color in Lake Erie (MODIS 2020-03-14).jpg

English: Swirls of tan and teal colored the waters of Lake Erie in early March, 2020. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the scene on March 7. A fringe of muddy, tan-colored water hugs the northern shoreline of the lake, revealing sediment that has washed off the land and into the lake, most likely from a storm that struck the region on March 6. Tan also swirls in deeper water near the middle of the lake, along with milky green, light blue, and white shades. All of these colors may be caused by sediment, although some algae may also add color to the turbid waters. As the shallowest of the Great Lakes, Erie’s bottom can be stirred up by strong spring winds and the currents they generate. The lake bottom is rich in quartz sand and silt, as well as calcium carbonate (chalk) from limestone, each adding its own colors into the mix.