Still there... Red Tide bloom in SW Florida

via FWC The Karenia brevis bloom present in southwest Florida has been documented so far this week in waters between southern Lee County and Collier County. Low to high concentrations of K. brevis have been detected alongshore of Sanibel Island and background to medium concentrations have been detected alongshore and inshore of Marco Island. In between Sanibel and Marco islands, background to very low concentrations of K. brevis were detected. While K. brevis concentrations are patchy along the southwest coast, satellite images suggest that the bloom is present from southern Lee County south to Cape Sable (Monroe County).

Additionally, samples collected early last week alongshore and offshore of the Atlantic side of the Florida Keys revealed concentrations of K. brevis ranging from background to medium.  Due to the fact that K. brevis has not been detected in this area in association with the current bloom, today’s map includes these data points.

Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples analyzed so far this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Citrus, Levy and Taylor counties, in the Indian River Lagoon (Brevard County) or offshore of the Florida Keys (Gulf side).

 

Sampling will continue this week, and complete results will be available in the next scheduled status report on Thursday, December 22.

go to the following links for our "Eco Programs" page and our BeSpoke Blog on our AllardPPC website

Milestone: 600,000 Homes Weatherized Three Months Ahead of Schedule

Considering the rising costs of heating and cooling recently reported you would think almost everyone would be weatherizing their homes!

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that states and territories across the nation have reached the goal of weatherizing more than 600,000 low-income homes– including more than 125,000 multi-family homes like apartment buildings–more than three months ahead of schedule. 


The Department reached this major milestone as part of its efforts to save energy and reduce home utility bills for families, while creating jobs in communities throughout the country.
On a conference call to make the announcement, Secretary Chu was joined by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, who spoke about Minnesota's efforts and progress on the ground making homes more efficient with weatherization upgrades.


Through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states and territories supported by the Department's Weatherization Assistance Program set the aggressive goal to reduce energy waste in approximately 600,000 low-income homes with energy efficient upgrades such as insulation, air-sealing, and more efficient heating and cooling systems. The program is helping families save money on their energy bills and creating thousands of jobs locally–putting carpenters, electricians, and others back to work. While the original target date for completing 600,000 weatherization upgrades was the end of March, 2012, the Department announced today that it had met that objective more than three months ahead of schedule.

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Persistant Red Tide in SW Florida

Regrettably it seems we're back to a persistent Red Tide again and its not going to help the tourism industry with the respiratory irritation factor. 


Whats changed to cause this? Heavy nutrient loads again?


latest sampling report via the FWC

The Karenia brevis bloom present in southwest Florida has been documented so far this week in waters between southern Lee County and Collier County. Low to high concentrations of K. brevis have been detected alongshore of Sanibel Island and low to medium concentrations have been detected alongshore of Marco Island. The bloom most likely continues south to northern Monroe County as detected by last weeks samples, although no samples have been processed so far this week from that area. Fish kills and respiratory irritation have been reported in conjunction with this bloom in multiple locations this week including Marco Island and Naples.

Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples analyzed so far this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties or offshore of Palm Beach County.

 

Sampling will continue this week, and complete results will be available in the next scheduled status report on Friday, December 16.

4 new projects in Advance Fuel Cell Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced more than $7 million to fund four projects in California, Washington, and Oregon to advance hydrogen storage technologies to be used in fuel cell electric vehicles. The 3-year projects will help lower the costs and increase the performance of hydrogen storage systems by developing innovative materials and advanced tanks for efficient and safe transportation. These investments are a part of the Department's commitment to U.S. leadership in advanced fuel cell technology research to help domestic automakers bring more fuel cell electric vehicles into the mainstream market.
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Red Tide update

Southwest CoastThe Karenia brevis bloom present in southwest Florida currently extends from southern Lee County through northern Monroe County. The highest concentrations of K. brevis have been reported alongshore and offshore of Sanibel Island south to Naples Bay.  Very low to medium concentrations have been reported alongshore and offshore of southern Collier County south to Pavilion Key (Monroe County). In inshore waters, samples confirm up to high concentrations of K. brevis in southern Pine Island Sound and San Carlos Bay (Lee County) and up to medium concentrations inshore of Marco Island (southern Collier County). Multiple fish kills (alongshore and offshore) and respiratory irritation have been reported in the bloom areas of southern Lee through Collier counties.

Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples analyzed this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties

 

Bloom Boundary: Recent satellite images from the Optical Oceanography Lab at the University of South Florida show that the bloom extends alongshore for at least 75 miles from southern Lee County through northern Monroe County and offshore for approximately 30 miles. This imagery is consistent with sample results processed by FWC. 

 

Northwest CoastKarenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in waters sample collected this week alongshore of Escambia, Dixie and Citrus counties or offshore of Taylor County.

 

East Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in a water sample collected this week in the Indian River Lagoon system (Brevard County) or offshore of Palm Beach County.

 

You can access this week’s interactive Google Map in the attached file.

 

To learn more about other organisms that have been known to cause algal blooms in Florida waters, see our flickr page at (http://www.flickr.com/photos/myfwc) and click on “Harmful Algal Bloom Species”.

A Kemp Ridley Turtle Truly Incredible Journey

Time at last... tis the season...
Neat story to kick off a Monday morning via Mote Marine

An endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle rehabilitated in Portugal after stranding in the Netherlands arrived at Mote Nov. 29 for the last stop in its journey back to the wild.

The Kemp’s ridley turtle was rescued in November 2008 in the Netherlands, where it probably drifted on ocean currents after becoming cold-stunned. The turtle was stabilized at the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands and sent to the aquarium Oceanário de Lisboa in Portugal the following summer, and then transferred to the theme park Zoomarine for rehab.

Zoomarine staff identified the turtle as a juvenile Kemp's ridley — a highly endangered species that spends this part of its life feeding in relatively shallow, warm waters of the western North Atlantic, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, which is thousands of miles from where it was rescued. 

It took an international team effort to get the turtle back to Florida. Zoomarine staff worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, The U.S. Embassy in Portugal, the Portuguese airline TAP and Mote Marine Laboratory to obtain all the special permits and arrange for the animal’s travel and care once in the U.S.

The turtle's travels earned it the nickname "Johnny Vasco da Gama" for the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who opened the sea route from Europe to India. The turtle was named "Johnny" in the Netherlands and gained its explorer name in Portugal.
Johnny was flown from Portugal to Miami in cabin space donated by TAP, accompanied by caregivers from Zoomarine. "This was an amazing journey on every level," said Élio A. Vicente, Director of Science and Education at Zoomarine.  "After two and a half years, this is a perfect ending."

• Click to watch the story on CNN