WATER QUALITY REPORT FOR JAN. 21, 2024
America is now larger by nearly the entire size of Venezuela, and the Gulf of Mexico's resources off Fort Myers is one of the reasons why.
The Department of State made the country larger, underwater, by redefining how far out various continental shelves extend in seven places that now “belong” to the USA.
Called the Extended Continental Shelf Project, it’s all well and good due to a generally accepted maritime treaty that most countries in the world agree with that, legally defined, says … blah, blah, blah …. and technicalities of international maritime law state … blah, blah, blah … even adversaries of the United States like Russia agree due to myriad … blah, blah, blah … and that’s the extended shelf project in a nutshell.
I have no clue about the water quality out there to update you with, but it is clear the water quantity is massive.
The Department of State’s talking points begin with information on how this gives America the right to say yea or nay on allowable uses of the waters such as scientific research and commercial fishing, but it’s not really about the seas.
It’s about what’s underneath the ocean.
The extended boundaries include huge areas in the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans, near the Mariana Islands, and two zones in the Gulf of Mexico.
Through no effort of either the Lee County Chamber of Commerce or the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, the new part of America closest to Florida starts about 230 miles, give or take, due west of Lee County. Neat, huh?
The central Gulf of Mexico is rich in a variety of valuable minerals and resources, some considered crucial for economic and industrial purposes.
The absolute coolest thing down there is a group of 17 rare earth elements, almost surely in the deep-sea muds of the central Gulf of Mexico, including lanthanum, cerium, and neodymium. The elements are vital for various high-tech uses including smartphones to electric vehicles.
Sulfur deposits are bountiful under the seabed, although the complicated and expensive process needed to extract the element from the shelf has led to mining land-based deposits in most countries. Sulfur is most often used to make fertilizers, but the versatile substance is also used to create explosives, sheet metal, and detergent.
Large salt domes are down there, which are used in a host of chemical processes and, of course, as a preservative.
The Gulf's depths contain ice-like formations of methane and water that have potential as a source of natural gas. However, like most things deep underwater, and perhaps under the seabed underneath the water, the technicalities of extraction are challenging.
Sand and gravel down at the bottom can be sucked up for concrete and beach renourishment.
"America is larger than it was yesterday" — Mead Treadwell, former Alaska lieutenant governor
Not forgotten is the Gulf of Mexico’s vast reserves of oil and natural gas. Let us also never forget that tapping those deposits way down at the bottom of the Gulf was where the Deepwater Horizon oil spill originated in 2010.
Of course, should we ever have the need, not just the desire, to mine any of these resources made available by the Extended Continental Shelf Project it will be crucial to have serious, sober discussions about the environmental risks of doing so.
Those who fight for environmental rights would need to accept a balance between their passion for the planet with the benefits to society. Those who stand to profit from harvesting the resources must accept the limitations necessary to do everything possible to avoid any environmental damage from doing so.
Good luck with that.
“America is larger than it was yesterday,” Mead Treadwell, a former Alaska lieutenant governor and former chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, told NPR Alaska. “It’s not quite the Louisiana Purchase. It’s not quite the purchase of Alaska, but the new area of land and subsurface resources under the land controlled by the United States is two Californias larger.”
Now we return to Southwest Florida to report on this week’s water quality and quantity issues in WGCU’s Water Quality Report.
RED TIDE
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was not observed in samples collected in the waters of Manatee, Sarasota, Lee, Collier, or Monroe counties. No samples were analyzed
from Charlotte County.
No reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received in Southwest Florida during the past week.
Respiratory irritation related to red tide was not reported in Southwest Florida over the past week.
Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island reports eight of ten birds admitted to the facility in recent weeks died due to red tide toxins.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is reporting the latest satellite imagery for Lake Okeechobee shows scattered low bloom potential on approximately 5% of the lake primarily along the western shoreline.
The imagery of the Caloosahatchee estuary shows a small area of low bloom potential in the estuary near Rag Island.
The FDEP says it is important to remember the blue-green algae potential is subject to change due to rapidly changing environmental conditions or satellite inconsistencies.
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 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.
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 like something with a naturally unpleasant odor has now started to rot, too.
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 FDEP 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 right away.
What causes blue-green algae?
Blue-green algae blooms occur when the algae that are typically present grow in numbers more than normal. Within a few days, a bloom can cause clear water to become cloudy.
Winds tend to push the 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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