Red Tide Outbreak

People have always recognized jellyfish as that thing that will sting you while you are swimming, but now they will be known as a more severe problem than a simple sting. The jellyfish is causing problems with humans by disrupting electricity in Japan, Israel and Scotland as well as harming fisheries in the Black Sea. These issues are causing people to loose money that already have trouble just making enough to have simple necessities. These jellyfish blooms are a problem, but people have found a solution to the issues these monsters are

An investigation was necessary to find the cause of the outbreak, and how to stop it from continuing to spread. The campus clinic was interested in testing the following nine patients: Sue, Jill, Anthony, Wanda, Maggie, Maria, Arnie, Marco, and Alvin. All of the students have similar symptoms and agreed to being tested except for Alvin.

It’s a beautiful day at the beach, the sun is shining down on you as you float and drift on top of the waves. As you lay there without a care in the world, you are suddenly interrupted by a massive swarm of jellyfish; also known as a bloom. Not only does this send you into sudden terror, it also causes a much bigger threat to the ecosystem below you. The excessive growth of jellyfish swarm drastically lowers the population of fish eggs in the ecosystem. Because of this, fishermen lose millions of dollars. People in local communities are figuring out ways to solve this mass production.

Florida red tide blooms were linked to many emergency room check-ins regarding respiratory and intestinal ailments (Pierce and Henry, 2008). Even though some of these illnesses were attributed to toxic seafood consumption, many of the hospitalizations are a result of breathing in the aerosol from these toxic blooms, causing asthma attack and bronchitis. The blooms toxic aerosol floats to the seas surface in bubbles, which are blown on shore. The authors of the article states, “Future illnesses would range between $2 and $24 million,” if the futures yearly blooms continue (Hoagland et al, 2014). Due to the problems that the critical blooms create, there needs to be a remedy to reduce the high toxic bloom levels to insignificant

In this research paper I will talk about how a large decrease in the algae population in the Chesapeake Bay will cause problems for not just fish and other species but the people who fish and make a living off of it. A large decrease in algae population will have a domino effect on the food chain. Having a major decrease in algae will hurt how others species live and protect themselves.

Scientists have studied the impact of water borne pathogens over time. Just how dependent human life is on the waterways is one such question which arises. The study involves the effect of such pathogens on human life. This study was narrowed down to the area of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay each weekend is occupied for recreational use. Such activities as swimming, fishing, and body surfing are common place. Normally each year thousands of pounds of seafood are distributed from out of the bay. There is a vast amount of people who come to visit the area each year.

Algae blooms have been an issue in the Chesapeake Bay, especially in the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Algae is a natural and critical part of the ecosystem, however in large doses it is harmful to the plants and organisms within the ecosystem. Algae blooms can block out sunlight and kill other plants in the water. Algae depends on various factors such as water, nutrients and carbon dioxide to grow. Eutrophication of the Inner Harbor has lead to algae blooms that have caused large fish kills in the past. When there is an over abundance of certain chemical nutrients eutrophication can occur. Runoff from land and farms is the main cause of excess nutrients into the water. The most common nutrients that are related to algae outbreaks are nitrate nitrogen and phosphate. In addition, a lack of dissolved oxygen can also be an indicator for the process of eutrophication and risk of an algae outbreak. A particular type of algae commonly found in Maryland is known as Prorocentrum minimum. Prorocentrum tends to cause “mahogany tides” causing water to be brown and have an odor. There has been a campaign launched by the Healthy Harbor

In Pensacola Bay the results of the Bay over time can be represented by various reports as in this report found in the years of 2007 and 2010 and from previous years in 2012-2013 reports for a rough comparison of data within past few years (2011-2014 period) and part of the first decade from (2000-2010 period). In the first set of data collected by Escambia County Utilities Authority (ECUA) that notes throughout the data on their table that demonstrates all values associated with samples taken as the Maximum contaminant Level (MCL), or the highest level of containment that is allowed in drinking water compared to Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) that represents the level of water that represents no risk and allows for margin of safety (4). In the ECUA’s report the water quality from wells with which it uses to provide Escambia County its fresh water. Though this is not directly from Pensacola Bay, the ECUA report still reflects the

Red tide is the common name for a large concentration of certain species of dinoflagellates. This event accumulates harmful algal blooms quickly, resulting in discoloration near the surface water. Dense enough algal blooms cause harmful toxins strong enough to affect people and the oceans ecosystem as a whole. Karenia brevis is the most troublesome species of dinoflagellate in the Gulf of Mexico. This species reproduces by asexual cell division, therefore, given the right conditions, the population can rapidly increase in size. K. brevis needs large amounts of the correct nutrients to reproduce at toxic speed. The nutrients responsible for supporting Florida's red tide are nitrogen and phosphorus.

Not much can be done to stop the bleeding in the Florida Bay as of now but if someone such as myself who is only in high school can bring awareness to this issue, it shows how powerful and important this die off is to us in South Florida. If more people bring awareness to what is going on in the Florida Bay, we can eventually garner more attention to this issue from the government and environmental organizations around the world so we can work together to at least slow down the rapid sea grass die off and to think of long term solutions towards “Making the Florida Bay Healthy Again!” While I was down doing research on the water, I was angered and disgusted to see the water with a yellow “fog”, which is just a symptom of the sea grass-die off, imagine seeing the Florida Bay like this for years, without changing back to its original, beautiful, clear state

As humanity continues to prosper agriculturally, industrially, and in population, companies, as well as local communities, have obsessively used the Ocean to toss their waste without consequences. The formation of dead zones has been intensified by the increase runoff of fertilizers and the burning of fossil fuels. Enhanced primary production causes algae to bloom at a constant rate creating a layer near the surface. This layer acts as a roof to vegetation below resulting in a lack of oxygen which organisms use to live. According to Robert Diaz and Rutger Rosenberg, “Dead zones have now been reported from more than 400 systems, affecting a total area of more than 245,000 square kilometers, and are probably a key stressor on marine ecosystems.” Specifically, the Chesapeake Bay has been polluted to the point where areas have now been uninhabitable to marine life. Although waste disposal is a difficult issue to solve, polluting bodies of water endangers the marine life, environment, and health of organisms.

Red tide is a very serious issue that severely affects the West Coast of Florida. Red tide is defined as a toxic bloom in red dinoflagellates. It has major impacts on its surroundings. Algal species that have harmful effects are commonly referred to as Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Toxic red tide is threatening tourism in West Florida as well as wildlife, specifically the endangered manatees as it extends down the Florida coast. When conditions are right, dinoflagellates will bloom in very large numbers. Red tides name comes from the color that the blooms give the water when there are high concentrations of algae. Don Anderson, a senior scientist at the Woods

The ocean is a vast and beautiful body of water. It seems as if nothing could ever take away from that beauty. Sadly that is not the reality, the ocean takes on more than 8 million metric tons of plastic waste every year (weforum.org). This causes many marine animals to die and ecosystems to vanish. This plastic and contamination can lead into the lovely state of Florida. Contamination, over fishing and farming can cause Florida marine life to die off and can cause red tides to last longer and be more harmful.

The effects of climate change may already be influencing weather patterns in southeast Florida. If temperatures rise, it is to expect that Florida’s climate zones will migrate northward, and zones of more tropical climate will enlarge, but the opposite has been the case despite record temperatures in the state because, while temperatures are higher, extremes are greater. As a result of sea level rise, coastal areas will see migration of seawater into fresh aquifers that will threaten the availability of fresh water supplies, however, the way groundwater works, the rise in sea level will be accompanied by an increase in groundwater levels. Southeast Florida has developed only by reducing groundwater levels. Rising seas also mean rising groundwater, so more intense rainfall will increase the risk of flooding (Bloetscher, Heimlich, & Meeroff 2011). The KOA campground in Okeechobee, Florida, is at risk for this natural disaster. This particular KOA location has a large annual occupancy, which correlates with a busy tourist season. Furthermore, the demand for drive tourism, however, is subject to an excess of ‘decision criteria’ including price, time, and infrastructure offerings during and at the destination point (Fjelstul & Fyall, 2015).

There are other common sources of cholera bacterium are surface or well water, seafood, raw fruits and vegetables, and grains. In water, Vibrio cholerae can survive for long periods of time, staying dormant. People in areas with poor sanitation, like crowded refugee camps, are at risk of cholera, due to the fact that water provided for said community could be a source of contamination of cholera bacteria. Seafood, when raw or undercooked, can be contaminated by cholera bacteria, if the seafood came from certain areas with contaminated waters. Since the 1970s, cholera outbreaks in the U.S. have been caused by smuggled seafood from cholera-infected areas, and from the Gulf of Mexico. Shellfish are especially contaminated, due to the fact that “they filter large amounts of water, concentrating the levels of cholera bacteria”. Raw fruits—especially unpeeled—and vegetables coming from an area with a source of cholera are another frequent source of the cholera bacteria. Innoculation of the fruits