Is Climate Change Impacting RED TIDE? An Engineering Assessment

Is Climate Change Impacting

RED TIDE? An Engineering Assessment Lenny Landau Adapting to a Changing Climate Conference Selby Auditorium at USF 11 January 25, 2019

HO Sarasota Herald Tribune P EL Monday, October 1, 2016

ES S

“True mitigation isn’t getting rid of the algae The real mitigation is compensating businesses”

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Agenda

• • • • • •

What Red Tide is and does Approach Direct Influences Indirect Influences How it all fits together Wrap Up L.3Landau

What is FLORIDA RED TIDE?... “Karenia brevis is the only documented dinoflagellate* in the world whose blooms are known to have concurrent fish kills, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, and human respiratory irritation.� * A single-celled subgroup of algae with two flagella, occurring in large numbers in marine plankton

571 Tons

Coughing Marine Vertebrate Mortality

Sneezing 127

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Dead Fish 589

Shellfish Poisoning 4

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Ori gi n onl ate y in s the Gu lf o Me f xi c o

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E D I T • Environment S D T E C R PHealth • Public G A N I • Economy IM YTH R • Property Values E V E

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Addressing RED TIDE requires: • Identifying the pieces • Putting them together

PEE R R EV IEW E SCI EN C D E

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Karenia brevis Bloom Requirements (When Growth Exceeds Loss)

! e g n R a E h M C R e A t a W m G i l N C I T y T b Karenia brevis E d G TBio e Nutrients I t Environment S c I H Available R a E R Presence p G T E m N U i T I A S O W I W N e N E I d E i H E T • Water T Temperature S Anthropogenic D d E U e L S A R U C O (Man Caused) E A C Between 59º-86º F B C E T G B U Nutrients N T B I O N TT &

E G T ’ N IS

• Salinity Between 25-35 PPT* • Sunlight Bright

Bio Available Nitrogen (BAN)

L. Landau *PPT=Parts Per Thousand : Means that in every 1000 grams of seawater, 35 grams are salt.

ANTHROPOGENIC NUTRIENT Sources

Wastewater Leaks, Spills, or Dumps y 20 l e t a e h m t i f x o o • Septic Systems r s ore p e p l i a h m e s f b 3 f o o n i t s h e d t • Flood Control…Release of contaminated water l i i n u w 8m o t f n 1 s a a d o t n w u 2 s brain/storms i 1 • Runoff during a v n UREA e e r a r B mo h t . e K ld n i fothe o Urea is waste rel produced by humans, other mammals, sh and some fish. It is the the most concentrated amphibians, •

nitrogen fertilizer, and world's most commonly used nitrogen fertilizer

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New York Times Sunday, September 30, 2018

• More fertilizer is consumed in Florida than any other state but 900 People Moving California, Illinois and Texas to

Florida Every Day

• 30 % of Florida’s population uses septic systems L. Landau

What Else?

Karenia brevis Water Temperature Salinity Sunlight Anthropogenic Low Hanging Fruit Nutrients/Urea • Bio Available Nitrogen • • • • •

Direct

• Trichodesmium • Iron Dust from Africa • Synechococcus • Upwelling • Gulf Loop Current • Wind & Current

Indirect L. Landau

Trichodesmium (Indirect)

Is a bacteria that obtains its energy through photosynthesis found in nutrient poor tropical and subtropical ocean waters like the Gulf of Mexico

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Trichodesmium

Ho m u we i ve m s r, T e d e ric o h l ho c c i r de y before T c Trichodesmium has been present sm t ide a ium h t T the West or during every red on iesd tide d t notRe n e e Coast of Florida after 1998. a h ne m t u ss n c i o en d d tia ll olve e lK w v .b n s i i nu It is tri en t?

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Iron Dust (Indirect)

Trichodesmium uses iron to grow and to convert nitrogen in the water to a form that can be consumed by other marine organisms, like Karenia brevis 14

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Iron Dust

new

GOM

Satellite Image

8/18 2 / 6 t Dus

Africa

60 to 200 million tons of dust annually 15Landau L.

1960

k n i l o t e l b a n e e b a t c o i n r f e A v a m h o r s f t t s i s t u n d e i n c o s r i , r o e t v s Now om Howe . b blo K 16

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chad#/media/File:Lake_Chad_map_showing_receding_water_area_and_level_1972-2007.svg

Synechococcus (Indirect)

d e n i a t s u • Is a bacteria that obtains its energy ethrough s

Ca b n n b that is widespread photosynthesis the marine a incc us c s e, o m c o b o environment o h ut l c b e

i n s e y id n’tn m S T d o • Red Tide can sustain itself nearea shore for long e g R n i

s z s u a d periods of time.

Urea nitrogen from based r rland r e g o d h w g r results activities in blooms of Synechococcus and u e o h r t h o t as they bloom, so too is the potential for Karenia In brevis growth enhanced

https://appprecautionaryprinciple.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/red-tide-bloo 17 Landau L. ms-influenced-by-urea-nitrogen-run-off-into-gulf-of-mexico-waters

West Florida Shelf

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West Florida Shelf

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UPWELLING

West Florida Shelf

During an upwelling surface waters are replaced by cold, nutrient rich water that “wells up� from below.

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The Gulf of Mexico Loop Current

The dominant circulation feature in the eastern Gulf of Mexico • Is about 125 - 190 miles wide • Reaches maximum flow speeds of from 3.4 to 4.0 MPH • Transports approximately 25,000,000 cubic meters of water per second

The entire global input from rivers to the ocean is equal to about 1,200,000 cubic meters per second

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https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/loopcurrent.asp

Loop Current Linked to Red Tide t n e Ocean circulation determines the nutrient C state rr u p o o e l offshore and the K. brevis transport to the coast.

By L c e y h c t e t d a i h T keeping track of the Loop Current, t scientists d d e e t R n e e h m t accounted forothe of major blooms for u occurrence n c i r d o t l l c e a f 20 out of 25 years with concurrent Loop Current and w r s o j a It i m a Red Tide data. is

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The Gulf of Mexico Loop Current

Loop Current Variability • Penetration • Width/Shape • Location 23 L. Landau

Upwelling of deep nutrient-rich water on the Florida shelf is influenced by the loop current and eddies. This depends on current proximity and strength along the Florida shelf slope.

June 15, 2018

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Karenia brevis Presence

Trichodesmium Synechococcus

K. b Environmental Requirements

Winds and Currents

K. b Nutrients Urea, BAN

Anthropogenic Pollution

Loop Current Variability

est

a d i r Flo

f l e Sh

Legacy Sediment

Iron Dust from Africa

t u N l a r u t a N

s t n ri e

Upwellings 25

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Fitting it all together 1. Krenia brevis is present in Gulf waters‌various locations and intensities

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Fitting it all together 2. Trichodesmium and Synechococcus are present in Gulf waters L. Landau

Fitting it all together 3. Anthropogenic, natural nutrients, and iron dust from Africa is suspended in the water and accumulates on the bottom of the Gulf, along with decaying bacteria and dead fish L. Landau

Fitting it all together 4. When the Gulf Loop Current is in the vicinity of the West Florida Shelf it creates upwellings driving iron and nutrients from the sea bed

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Fitting it all together 5. Trichodesmium uses iron to grow and convert nitrogen to bio available nitrogen initiating or feeding offshore K. b blooms when the environmental conditions are right L. Landau

Fitting it all together 6. Offshore K. b blooms are driven to the coast by winds and currents

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Fitting it all together 7. Nutrients from sewage and runoff, and Sediment near shore feed the K. b bloom, as well as Synechococcus accelerating bloom growth!

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R 1 2 3 4 5 6

T

B

I

N

G

O

K. B Presence & Environment Trich. & Synech.

Off Shore Nutrients & Dust Loop Current Bio Av. Nitrogen Winds & Currents 33

RED TIDE

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Summary • Occurs naturally • Climate Change is enabling it year round • Increasing Man caused pollution is fueling it L.35Landau

FLORIDA IS AT A TIPPING POINT 36

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Control

Mitigation Cleanup L. Landau 37

RED TIDE CAN BE MINIMIZED (Mitigation)

• Reduce Man Caused Pollution Use Chesapeake Bay Cleanup as model

• Reduce Iron Dust from Africa Lake Chad Rescue Plan Adopted, Feb. 2018

However,

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Need to stop Toxic Blooms!

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Many of the pieces to the puzzle are known

The challenge is completing the puzzle 39

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ACTION HOPE

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