25th September 2018
By LoveEarth WEC
Comments What is Red Tide?… Well, let’s break down what algae are really quick:
There are photosynthetic microscopic organisms that live in aquatic environments and these organisms are what algae is made of. Algae are extremely resilient. They are able to live in salt and fresh water and endure a range of temperatures, oxygen or carbon dioxide concentrations, acidity, and turbidity. Some species can even be found on tree trunks, animal fur, snow banks, and in some soil.
Most algae produce their own nourishment by using light energy from the sun and carbon dioxide to generate carbohydrates and oxygen. However, there exist certain algal species that need to obtain their nutrition solely from outside sources.
The main toxin producers in oceans are certain dinoflagellates and diatoms.
In freshwaters, cyanobacteria are the main toxin producers, though some eukaryotic algae also cause problems.
There are MANY species of algae but the one involved in our “Red Tide” crisis is the dinoflagellate, Karenia Brevis. Many dinoflagellates have lost their plastids — the site of photosynthesis — through the course of evolution and now live as parasites, having to engulf bacteria or other such prey to survive. This algal is ubiquitous in lakes, rivers, estuaries and the oceans…our specific red tide algae occurs ONLY in saltwater.
NOW, What is Red Tide?
Red tide is a massive Algal Bloom. The blooms take on the colors of the algae contained within them. In this case, RED.
Under NATURAL conditions, algae use toxins to protect themselves from being eaten by small animals and only need a small amount to do so. But our crisis in Florida is not natural.
The main cause of algal blooms is a phenomenon called nutrient pollution. With nutrient pollution, there is an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus, which can push algae toward unrestrained growth. The phenomenon is caused by a variety of human activities, which means it can be prevented!
The fertilizers we use in agriculture and animal manures are rich in nitrogen, while improperly treated wastewater is high in both nitrogen and phosphorus, according to the EPA.
The specific root of the Red Algae Crisis in Florida is said to be the nutrient pollution from the watersheds of Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. Very high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus are washing into the water from agricultural lands, leaky septic systems, and fertilizer runoff.
When ocean currents carry a red tide to the shore it can intensify, especially where there are abundant nutrients to fuel algae growth. This year, because of heavy spring rains and the discharges of water from Lake Okeechobee, river runoff in southwest Florida brought a large amount of nutrients into near-shore waters in the Gulf of Mexico, fueling the large red tide.
What Are The Effects Of The Red Tide?
These toxins can impact the nervous systems of fish, birds, and mammals, sometimes leading to mass deaths. Mass deaths which we are starting to see along the entire east coast and gulf.
For humans, the public health advisories relate the red tide toxin to respiratory irritation, which is a particular concern for people with asthma or other respiratory issues. But many local Floridians argue that the toxin is doing MUCH more. People who have walked a beach where there is a red tide experience watering eyes, a runny nose, and a scratchy throat. The toxin in the water is said to be easily transported into the air where waves break on the shore. If you have contact with the infected water it causes intense rashes.
And if farm animals or pets drink water with an intense bloom, they can become seriously ill or die.
Current Reports:
On Monday, a team of FGCU researchers took a trip out on the water to visit three different locations 20 to 30 miles from the shoreline.
What did they find?
Below the red tide, the oxygen level of the water was shallow…
“The lower thirty feet of the water column had no oxygen. Without any oxygen, nothing can survive. All the marine life that typically lives on the artificial reef below either suffocates or leaves. They’re refugees, basically, and so if they’re all ending up in the same place, now you’re going to have an overcrowding situation that’s going to put stress on the food web. The little fish will probably be more susceptible to be eaten, and there’s going to be more competition among
the bigger fish,” Dr. Parsons states.
Dr. Richard Bartleson, a scientist with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, said: There’s no fish left. Red tide killed them all. All of our concentrations of red tide are still high and would still kill fish if they were out there.
Heather Barron, head of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife Veterinarian Hospital on Sanibel, said the red tide outbreak has collided with the height of sea turtle reproduction.
“Algae are indispensable because they produce about half the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere,” Graham told LiveScience.
What Is Being Done?
Florida Governor, Rick Scott, has declared a state of emergency in seven counties, stretching from Tampa Bay south to the Everglades, and promised $1.5 million in emergency funding, reports The Washington Post.
Final Thoughts:
The majority of this emergency funding needs to be directed towards fixing THE CAUSE of the problem! If funding isn’t used towards educating and reducing nutrient pollution this issue will completely wipe out marine life in the Gulf and potentially the entire eastern coast.
East Coast communities have been reporting marine life washing onto their beaches as far north as New England! Beached whales, mass amounts of dead clams, all kinds of fish, and more!
There is no escape for these animals from the effects of human indifference, poor resource management, and climate change. The only thing we can do is take action!
The current disaster here seems ultimately a failure of state and federal governments to do their jobs. Let’s hold them accountable for their lack of agricultural and building restrictions, and their nonexistent educational demands for the individuals and businesses who have the largest impacts on this form of pollution!
Contact your state representatives and urge them to address these issues and form preventative solutions!
Comment with any updated news regarding this crisis and how to get involved!
Read More: EcoWatch | The Tennessean
By LoveEarth
