Essay on Harmful Algae Blooms: Occurring All Summer, Causing Risky Effects

Harmful algae bloom arises when simple plants called algae that live in fresh and seawater breed out of control while generating harmful or toxic effects on birds, people, marine mammals, shellfish and fish. The human ailments caused by these harmful algae blooms though rare, can be fatal or even debilitating. Even though a lot of folks term these blooms as red tides, scientists prefer to call them harmful algae bloom. The algae bloom takes place virtually every summer along. They happen along Florida's Gulf Coast. Like many HABs, these blooms are caused by tiny microscopic algae, which produces toxins or harmful effects that make shellfish precarious to eat and kills fish. The harmful effects produced by these microscopic organisms also make the surrounding air knotty to breathe. As the name of these microscopic algae suggests, they often turn the water to red. The HABs occurs in almost every US coastal state. In most recent years, their occurrence is seen to be on the rise. Many scientists have documented that their occurrence in some locations seems to be exclusively natural. This means that they do blossom in some predicted seasons as a result of coastal upwelling or as a result of specific ocean current movements. But in some instance, algae bloom occurrence has been attributed to the increased nutrient pollution emanating from human activities, hence unnatural occurrence.

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The red tides are famous in the Gulf of Mexico since K. Brevis that initiates them is almost present in harmless and low concentration. The red tides in Florida appear through the year, although they mostly hit the peak in early fall and later in the summer. K. Brevis, like any other algae, need three things to survive and grow. The three things include nutrients, optimal light and temperature. Under nutrients, they specifically require phosphorus and nitrogen. The source of these three things varies among the estuarine, nearshore and offshore environment. The k.brevis, unlike phytoplankton and other species, can feed on a variety of nutrient sources; hence it is nearly impossible to connect the red tide bloom to a specific source of phosphorus or nitrogen. In the offshore, the red tide bloom can utilize the nitrogen formed by nitrogen-fixing algae known as Trichodesmium. Other nutrient sources apart from Trichodesmium include microplankton and zooplankton excretion, benthic flux and grazing food waste. Others include nutrients exchanged from the sediment in the water. Once the red tide bloom travels to the inshore, it feeds on the phosphorus and nitrogen excesses which comes from innumerable nutrient sources along the coast that includes septic tanks, stormwater runoff, fertilizer runoff and defective wastewater systems which are termed as pollutants. These pollutants include the increased nutrient pollution from most human activities that stem from water pollution, iron-rich dust influx, and large scale climatic wavering. Water pollution from coastal upwelling zones and agricultural runoff zones produced by the humans increases the temperatures of seawater, thus having considerable implications in the red tides.

Every Floridian has a rightful duty to demand immediate solutions to address the menace caused by the red tide. In finding a solution to this problem, those responsible have to adhere to the five stages that address environmental issues. First, they should define and identify the problem by scientifically gathering relevant information that may assist in defining the red tide problem. For the Floridians, it's pretty clear that the immediate problem is red tide bloom. The second environment solution step they should undertake is an environmental risk assessment. In this step, the relevant authority should investigate any potential harm that red tides have towards the environment, human beings and even with the economy at large. Under this category, they should assess the red tide's risk to wildlife, plant life and state economy. After the red tide environmental problem has been singled out and risks associated with each outcome of red tide has been assessed, it is prudent to get all the Floridians on the same page. Floridians should be engaged in a public engagement forum in determining the risks associated with red tides, the proposed solutions to eliminate the menace and its impact and outcome on the wildlife, plant life and economy. The fourth thing that should be undertaken is to appeal to the political class action. The politicians need to be involved in coming up with prudent rules and regulations which are conducive in eradicating the red tide bloom. Lastly, a long term evaluation mechanism that will monitor the immediate and long term effects of the red tide bloom.

As an individual, I know it's my mandate to help in bringing to an end the red tide bloom. First, I will have to utilize innovative technologies and approaches to determine the most ecological and effective sound methods for alleviating adverse effects from the red tides. Secondly, I will have to nurture a novel detection system that supports public red tide emergency response, forecasting and implementation of all control strategies. Third and last, I will have to embrace and advocate public health expansion, do local community engagement and outreach on the effects of red tide blooms.

Works Cited

Baldera, Alexis, et al. "5 Things to Keep in Mind About Red Tide in 2019." Ocean Conservancy, 1 Mar. 2019, https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2019/01/15/5-things-keep-mind-red-tide-2019/"Florida's Toxic Algae Crisis." Surfrider Foundation, https://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/floridas-toxic-algae-crisis.

"Massive Toxic Algae Bloom Stinks Up Florida Towns." Science Friday, https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/massive-toxic-algae-bloom-stinks-up-florida-towns/.

Stanglin, Doug. "Red Tide, the Toxic Algae Bloom That Kills Wildlife, Returns to Southwest Florida." USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 13 Nov. 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/13/red-tide-florida-toxic-algae-bloom-returns-southwest-beaches/4177117002/.