A California lake turned pink this week — in the name of science

Stockton’s McLeod Lake is wanting fairly in pink this week.

The splash of shade is a part of a examine being carried out by the California Division of Water Sources, which is dumping pinkish dye into the water to determine why the lake has grow to be a sizzling spot for dangerous algae.

Hazardous algal blooms, which could be poisonous to people, pets and aquatic life, popped up in McLeod Lake in 2020 and 2022 however — curiously — not this 12 months. So scientists are utilizing the dye to document the move of water, which they’re hoping will reply the query of why the algae spreads some years however not others.

Crews began dumping the rhodamine dye into the water Monday and can full the examine by Friday, based on a information launch.

The dye is momentary and innocent to people. However it’s positively seen. KCRA 3 video confirmed the blue-green water turning a stark shade of purplish-pink as crews used lengthy poles to distribute the dye evenly at completely different depths.

The blue-green algae, often known as cyanobacteria, is a pure a part of the ecosystem however can quickly develop underneath sure situations, together with heat temperatures and calm water. When the algae “blooms” so shortly, it could actually produce toxins resulting in lack of urge for food, vomiting and even jaundice and hepatitis for swimmers.

When the blooms are large enough, they’ll flip the water fluorescent inexperienced and make it scent putrid. After a very large bloom at McLeod Lake in 2006, Stockton put in a bubble system within the Stockton Deep Water Channel to oxygenate the water and break up the algae, the File reported.

The dye job is the primary of two research that scientists are conducting within the lake. The subsequent one is predicted to be scheduled early subsequent 12 months.