Algae Reports and Weather Forecasts Together?

On a Long Island cable channel, Bill Korbel offers gives his meteorology forecast as well as an outlook report for toxic algae. Usually, meteorologists don't give algae reports as part of their standard weather forecast. Korbel even admitted it was not something he learned when he was going to school. However, scientists say that in the near future, algae reports could become as common as weather forecasts.

High toxic algal blooms can trigger serious health effects. Two years ago residents in Ohio were banned from drinking tap water when toxic algae bloomed in Lake Erie and California residents were advised not to eat crabs contaminated with toxic algae. Sophisticated sensors can be deployed to give warnings when toxic algae levels are dangerously high.

In 2014, Congress reauthorized the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act originally passed in 1998. The problem is the act did not provide funding only signaled the need for research and the funding that would be used to conduct the research decreased by 45% from five years ago. This means less money for shorelines being monitored for algae.

Scientists say a total of 20 sensors are needed around the country at a cost of seven million dollars. The only sensors in use right now for an extended period of time are in the Gulf of Mexico. However, funding is needed not only for sensors but also for research to understand more about the algal bloom and the health effects they have.

Obama's 2016 fiscal year budget called for $13 million for research pertaining to harmful agal blooms. Still, algal blooms are flourishing all over the country at such a rapid rate that, money is not enough.

It would literally be a lifesaver to know about algal bloom reports.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/science/a-dreaded-forecast-for-our-times-algae-and-lots-of-it.html

http://www.noaa.gov/what-is-harmful-algal-bloom

Algae Overload

Currently, Florida is in their heart of their tourism season. A season that brings in tourists from all over the world who come to visit Florida's beautiful beaches and walloping water ways. However, just last week a stench arrived, surrounding beaches and water ways all over the coast, offending tourists and even locals. Shortly after the stench arrived, officials declared a state of emergency due to the toxic algae that covered the water.

more pictures of algal blooms:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/04/pictures/130423-extreme-algae-bloom-fertilizer-lake-erie-science/

Unfortunately there was not much to be done when this algal bloom occurred. The algae had been building for weeks with no signs of leaving any time soon."The mess in Florida is only the latest in a string of algal blooms that some experts believe are increasing in frequency and in severity." Although, these algal blooms occur naturally it has been shown more frequently that human activity has been increasing the frequency and intensity of them. The activity spoken of in the article includes runoff from farms, feedlots and municipal sewer systems. Hopefully, scientist and locals can get a grasp on these algal blooms to prevent from loosing tourists and consequently economic growth.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/science/algae-blooms-beaches.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0

Death of local animals point to estuary in danger

In Melbourne, Florida, sudden deaths of three manatees in the Banana River have caused some suspicion of what is really going on in the water. Even more manatees, along with other animals such as pelicans and bottlenose dolphins, have been dying in the same stretch of water. Troy Rice, who directs the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, fears that an ecosystem that supports more than 4,000 species is collapsing under the large amount of pollution over the past few decades. In 2011 and 2012, unknown blooms of algae coated the estuary, killing many fields of underwater sea grass, blocking many necessities for both fish and manatees. Along with the blooms of algae, off Brevard County, the estuary is swamped with nitrogen, which is mostly found in fertilizers, organic matter and waste. There have been limits to dump nitrogen-rich matter, but non-point sources of pollution, like lawn fertilizer and septic tanks, have been harder to control. According to surveys in 2011 and 2012, the waters off Brevard have 45% more nitrogen than expected. There have been indications that the fertilizer runoffs are a major contributions of the growing algae blooms. Although the manatees were in good health when they died, looking inside, there intestines were severely irritated and shocked. Also, there was macroalgae that was in the three stomachs. According to Martine de Wit, a research scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, "We hypothesize that whatever caused these manatees to die was either ingested or gotten through drinking; its logical to think it's the macroalgae that they ingested." There are still some skeptics of whether they are jumping to conclusion or not. If these unexpected deaths continue, the implications are unknown. I found this article interesting because we don't know that dumping waste and nitrogen-rich products into the water is killing animals that are beloved by all. Also, I really like these animals and don't want to see them die without explanation. The ocean and the animals that live in it are very important to us. We have to take care of it.

Antartica and Carbon

This article is about new evidence that suggests that algae helped influence the size and density of the levels of ice sheets. The ice sheets of antartica were built up during times where carbon dioxide was absent in the area. The time each sheet was constructed is relevent to the climate of the world at the time. Global "warming" and "cooling" is influenced by the air among many things of the time. Carbon is a major factor that traps heat so i can be considered a greenhouse gas. A main focus of this story is on the ancient algae and alkenones which are tough organic compounds produced by certain types of algae. They studied that to find the carbon dioxide signature of the period. And with those levels comes the knowledge of what was in the air at the period. This article was found at:http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/2098-antarctic-ice-sheets-grew.html