Algae, Red Tide, and the Future of our Water (includes links to lesson plans)
Last Night's PBS News Hour story on the Red Tide that's killing millions of marine life off the southern Florida Coast is yet another harbinger of the dangerous stormwater neglect occurring in North Carolina and across America.
Anyone who walks around my inner-city Durham neighborhood during a big rain event will quickly see how much our little municipality, alone, is contributing to the communal problem. The stormwater that is flowing, preferably unimpeded, through all those gutters, drains and pipes is ripe with nitrogen, phosphorous and other nutrients; and it flows directly into our streams, rivers, and ultimately ocean. In doing so, this nutrient-rich stormwater bypasses the vegetation intended by Nature to filter it (plants use these nutrients for food). Muddy water indicates an even more serious problem, as it is also carrying dirt, which contains higher levels of nutrients. When the nutrient levels in our waterways get too high (which is more often than not these days), algae blooms take over.
Though not considered plants, algae consume sunlight and nutrients during the day, producing oxygen as a waste product. Like plants, algae also consume oxygen (via a process called aerobic respiration), particularly on cloudy days and at night, when sunlight isn’t available. When nutrients in the water become excessive, algae growth becomes excessive, such that algae cover the water’s surface (a ‘bloom'). In addition to the toxic chemicals produced by some species of algae (i.e., Red Tide), algae blooms block sunlight and atmospheric oxygen from entering the water. Lacking sunlight, the algae begin to consume more oxygen than they are making, depleting the water’s oxygen supply and causing deformities and death in the aquatic animals depending on this oxygen to survive. Toxins and bacteria from the dead animals and plants pollute the waterway still more. But it's not just aquatic animals and recreational lake users we are worried about - these downstream water resources are where we humans get our drinking water!
Algae blooms, fish kills, and severe erosion are the canaries in the human coal mine, and not taking them seriously is risking communal suicide. Holistic and sustainable stormwater management is an expensive enterprise, but it's one our government(s) should invest in, before the price becomes too high.
-------------
Click on any of the links below for educational resources (and teaching materials) related to Red Tide, Algae and Algae Blooms:
Where Our Drinking Water Comes From
Worried about the quality of your drinking water when you're traveling? Find out how to naturally filter your water here:
