WATER QUALITY REPORT FOR JULY 9, 2023
I've made mistakes, but nothing even close to being horrible enough to tilt the Earth.
But as the worldwide society drills deep for water – for drinking, bathing, lawn watering, agricultural use, and so on – humans have redistributed so much H2O to the surface seas that we’ve tilted the Earth's pole to the east nearly three feet and are contributing in major ways to human-caused climate change.
All that underground water is perhaps the second-largest contributor to sea-level rise after melting glaciers and mountain snowcaps. Rising oceans are also warming, which is an enabler of many of the worst of the worst effects of climate change such as stronger hurricanes. Like Ian.
The problem is not using the water, because H2O molecules do not disappear or cease to exist when ingested or evaporated or frozen -- they just transform.
The problem is we are pumping fresh water from deep under the land and returning it to the salty ocean.
It’s like checking a book out of one library and returning it to a different, unrelated library: the book has been “returned,” but there will be a price to pay all the same.
Most of the groundwater we pump to the surface to use evaporates and rains down on the world’s oceans. Much of the rest is used by us and, whether through pipes to a treatment plant or into stormwater drains, the water ends up in rivers. Rivers empty into oceans.
Pumping fresh water from deep under the land and returning it to the salty ocean is like checking a book out of one library and returning it to a different, unrelated library: the book has been “returned,” but there will be a price to pay all the same.
From 1993 to 2010 alone, globally humans pumped up 2,150 gigatons of groundwater – a mind-numbing amount, I can assure you, because it is numbing my mind as I try to conceive how much that is.
What is clear is 2,150 gigatons of water taken from deep in the ground and added to the oceans redistributes enough weight to affect the planet’s rotation.
Not that the Earth spins like a top. The planet wobbles: Stick your hand out and turn it vertically so your thumb is facing up and your pinky down. Then gently wiggle it ever so slightly from right-to-left, left-to-right. There: the Earth wobbles like that as it rotates.
By the way, I’m no expert on gigatons of water, how to measure them, nor how to tell that the planet’s axis has tilted three feet.
This stuff comes from researchers led by Ki-Weon Seo, a geophysicist at Seoul National University, published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
"Earth's rotational pole actually changes a lot," Seo, the geophysicist at Seoul National University said. "Our study shows that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole."
It’s a really important because the discovery of Earth's axis shifting around due to groundwater pumping underscores the intricate interplay between human actions and the planet's delicate balance.
Of all the things contributing the human-caused climate change it would appear, relative to solving, say, carbon in the atmosphere, that over-pumping groundwater could be solved in some way the world could get behind so we could all have a more … wait for it … wait for it … balanced approach.
RED TIDE
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that over the past week the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was not detected in anything close to harmful levels anywhere in Southwest Florida.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
Sampling for components of blue-green algae by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported the presence of visible specks at the Alva Boat Ramp with some light streaks, and upstream of the Franklin Locks with some wind-driven accumulation along the shore and lock.
The Florida Department of Health is Lee County is issuing health alerts about the presence of blue-green algae in water-quality testing further and further west in the Caloosahatchee RIver every few days.
The environmental nonprofit Captains for Clean Water flew a plane over Lake Okeechobee this week and saw a striking green bloom striated over much of the surface of the Big Pond.
What is red tide?
Red tide is one type of harmful algal bloom caused by high concentrations of the toxic dinoflagellate K. brevis, which is a type of microscopic algae found in the Gulf of Mexico. Red tide typically forms naturally offshore, commonly in late summer or early fall, and is carried into coastal waters by winds and currents. Once inshore, these opportunistic organisms can use nearshore nutrient sources to fuel their growth. Blooms typically last into winter or spring, but in some cases, can endure for more than one year.
Is red tide harmful?
K. brevis produces potent neurotoxins (brevetoxins) that can be harmful to the health of both wildlife and people. Wind and wave action can break open K. brevis cells and release toxins into the air. This is why you should monitor conditions and stay away from beaches where red tide is in bloom. People in coastal areas can experience varying degrees of eye, nose and throat irritation during a red tide bloom. Some individuals with chronic respiratory conditions like asthma or chronic lung disease might experience more severe symptoms. Red tide toxins can also affect the central nervous system of fish and other marine life, which can lead to fish kills.
What causes red tide?
A red tide bloom develops naturally, but recent studies have discovered mankind's infusion of other nutrients into the mix can make the red tide last longer or get stronger. But biology (the organisms), chemistry (natural or man-made nutrients for growth) and physics (concentrating and transport mechanisms) interact to produce the algal bloom. No one factor causes the development of a red tide bloom.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has a satellite pointed at Lake Okeechobee that can detect harmful algae blooms found large groups of blue-green algae in the east-center of the lake.
Strong winds from Category 3 Hurricane Irma in 2017 churned up nutrient pollution from the depths of Lake Okeechobee, which helped feed a blue-green algae outbreak that covered 95 percent of the lake’s surface during the summer of 2018.
The much stronger Category 4 Hurricane Ian last September churned up Lake Okeechobee even more, so fears are that this summer will bring a blue-green algae outbreak even worse than the devastating one in 2018.
What is blue-green algae?
Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, are a group of organisms that can live in freshwater, saltwater or brackish water. Large concentrations, called blooms, can change the water color to blue, green, brown, orange or red. Some cyanobacterial blooms can look like foam, scum, or mats on the surface of freshwater lakes and ponds. As algae in a cyanobacterial bloom die, the water may smell bad
Is blue-green algae harmful?
Different types of blue-green algal bloom species can look different and have different impacts. However, regardless of species, many types of blue-green algae can produce toxins that can make you or your pets sick if swallowed or possibly cause skin and eye irritation. The Florida department of Environmental Protection advises staying out of water where algae is visibly present as specks or mats or where water is discolored. Pets or livestock should not come into contact with algal bloom-impacted water or with algal bloom material or fish on the shoreline. If they do, wash the animals immediately.
What causes blue-green algae?
Blue-green algae blooms occur when the algae that are normally present grow in numbers more than normal. Within a few days, a bloom can cause clear water to become cloudy. Winds tend to push some floating blooms to the shore where they become more noticeable. Cyanobacterial blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients. Blooms can occur at any time, but most often occur in late summer or early fall.
If any major type of water quality alert is issued, you can find the details here in WGCU’s Water Quality Report.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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