Toxic algal blooms are a big enough threat that Lake Erie is dotted with little buoys, constantly monitoring how much algae is in the water. It takes several minutes in a zippy speedboat to travel far enough offshore to see one of the buoys up close.
On the way, one of the scientists in the boat captures a jarful of water and holds it up to the light. It looks clear enough to drink.
But then she throws a net with a filter on the end overboard, and drags it through roughly 1,000 gallons of water. The remaining liquid she pulls out of the filter is a murky yellow-green, with lots of tiny zooplankton buzzing around.
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