![]() ![]() “Sanibel Island, located off the central west coast of Florida, is an epicenter for red tides,” the researchers wrote. In June, researchers from the University of Bristol Veterinary School in the United Kingdom and the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island published a paper in the journal Harmful Algae that found discharges of water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River “were significantly correlated” with red tide blooms. And then, simply: “The public should exercise caution in and around Lee County waters at this time.” To the south, marine scientists at the state health department in Lee County this weekend gave the same warnings about red tide hotspot Fort Myers Beach. Storm surge chugged inland up to two miles in places and was swished about as the storm slowly drifted over and the wind direction constantly changed, scouring roads and sidewalks, filling and draining Dumpsters, washing over farms and yards.Īs Ian moved away, the rinse cycle started.Īll that water, filled with the pollutants of everyday life, flooded back toward the Gulf of Mexico gathering more detritus on the way: motor oil, rubber from tires, microplastics from discarded face masks, cigarette butts filled with chemicals, and tons and tons of garbage. More than a foot of rain fell onto the ground and was blown, hard, in ever-changing directions, which rinsed off buildings, cars, traffic lights, business signs, and billboards. Imagine a hurricane with the particulars of Ian being as huge washing machine, and the height of the storm being the wash cycle. But between hurricanes and runoff from human activities, we could be making them worse.” “We don't influence their start, as far as we know. “We have no evidence that a hurricane causes red tide,” said Michael Parsons, a professor of marine science at Florida Gulf Coast University and director of FGCU's Vester Marine and Environmental Science Research Field Station. brevis that can bloom into red tides when conditions are right. ![]() NASA The runoff from Hurricane Ian into the Gulf of Mexico is clearly visible in this picture taken by a NASA satellite in spaceĬhemical processes between the saltwater and all the stuff in the runoff breaks things down into various microscopic nutrients that become a dominant feature of the seawater, where there is always background concentrations of K. ![]() Nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers human waste from many of the region’s 100,000-plus antiquated septic systems that were inundated animal feces lawn clippings it all flows from those streams and rivers into the bays that mix with the Gulf of Mexico. The ground scrubbing done by the massive amount of rain, storm surge, and flood waters from hurricanes like Ian washed a sick mess of pollutants into streams and rivers. A pair of otherwise unrelated research projects found that, while the organism that causes red tide is always present in the Gulf of Mexico, if nature decides it’s time for a bloom the influx of nutrient pollution “feeds” it, which allows the bloom to making it last longer and be stronger. Local charter captains and coastal environmental groups say anecdotal evidence is enough for them: the massive red tide that lasted from 2017 to 2019 followed hurricanes Irma and Maria.Īnd scientific evidence is mounting as well. There is a lot of not-so-quiet resignation in the seven weeks since Hurricane Ian that red tide would follow. Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish or distressed or dead fish from this location. If your pet swims in waters with red tide, wash it as soon as possible. Keep pets and livestock away and out of the water, sea foam and dead sea life. Those with chronic respiratory problems should be especially cautious and stay away … as red tide can affect your breathing. Wash your skin and clothing with soap and fresh water if you have had recent contact with red tide. “Stay away from the water,” a Charlotte County health advisory warned. The red tide is so prevalent, so pungent, and so potentially poisonous that the authors of the health advisories ignored the long-established practice of softening the language to avoid scaring away tourists. ![]() Earlier this month, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, in nearly 100 samples throughout Southwest Florida.įlorida Department of Health officials in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties, taken as a group, are issuing health alerts daily warning of the real and present danger to human and animals. Red tide was detected at every beach in Sarasota County soon after Hurricane Ian made landfall near Fort Myers in late September. From Tampa Bay south to Ten Thousand Islands, local groups and state agencies that test for and track red tide are warning that the harmful algae that kills fish, sickens dogs, and whose acrid air chase people off the beach is here. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |