An algae bloom grew rapidly on the northern end of Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain in early March, and its bright-green hue could be seen by NASA satellites from miles above Earth.

NASA's Earth Observatory shared an image captured March 3 by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. The phytoplankton blooms require several ingredients to grow rapidly, one of which is warm weather, and that was abundant in southeastern Louisiana in February and March.

Brady Skaggs of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation said low winds, sunny days and river water released into the lake during the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway all probably helped the bloom grow quickly, he told the New Orleans Advocate. The spillway was opened as snowmelt increased, raising water levels on the Mississippi River.

The river water can also carry fertilizer, which provides nutrients that allow the algae to bloom, NASA also said.

If the bloom is toxic, the algae can cause a number of illnesses, including nausea, diarrhea, headaches and even liver or kidney problems, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Therefore, officials urged people to stay out of the water where the blooms were located.

Another algae bloom occurred later in March, but cloud cover kept satellites from capturing additional images, NASA also said. By April, the blooms appeared to be waning, the report added.