135 manatees, 300 pelicans, 76 dolphins have been snuffed out of the Ocean in the last decade due to what Scientist are calling "The Perfect Storm." Cold snaps in the Indian River lagoon in 2009, 2010 as well as 2011 with temperatures dipping as low as 39 degrees fahrenheit are believed to be accountable for the deaths and injuries of the marine organisms who call the lagoon their home.
( Image of blue-green algae blooms in the Indian River Lagoon)
Aside from the cold snaps, Scientists believe that a major impact of these mortalities come down to one main issue, pollution. This semester I will be researching and observing different types of phytoplankton (ocean wanderers) living in these lagoons especially the toxic plankton contributing to a very critical "bloom" in Central Florida's lagoon systems. These blooms are caused due to an overload of nutrients wasted out into our water systems as a result of human activity. The blooms are hovering the surface of the sea, intervening with the food supply and photosynthetic process of seagrass, a main source of nutrients and food for the herbivores of the area. With knowledge of amount of chlorophyll in the waters along with the different species of plankton present, my goal is to be able to link these species of phytoplankton to specific blooms in the river and Educate others on the importance of Toxic water runoff.
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