Knowing the culprit is only half the battle in stemming the tide of the current manatee die-off.
It's easy to say, "nitrates make algae blooms." But in doing so the science gets watered down greatly.
Yes, fertilizers (and their associated runoff in our waterways) increases the levels of nitrates in the water. But why?
The answer lies in a chemical compound called urea. If it sounds familiar that's because it is in you right now...in your urine.
Urea is a natural, nitrate-rich compound and bonds with water easily. Algae needs a nitrate-rich environment to grow in.
The type of algae spawned is contingent on several factors. However, if conditions are right, the algae will produce domoic acid. It's this acid that can do severe damage to marine mammals and their nervous systems.
In California, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, domoic acid from algae blooms laid wasted to hundreds of sea lions (and eventually pelicans and dolphins).
It has yet to be proven the domoic acid is the toxin causing the IRL manatees to drown. But this old journalist is following the blood trail.
It's easy to say, "nitrates make algae blooms." But in doing so the science gets watered down greatly.
Yes, fertilizers (and their associated runoff in our waterways) increases the levels of nitrates in the water. But why?
The answer lies in a chemical compound called urea. If it sounds familiar that's because it is in you right now...in your urine.
Urea is a natural, nitrate-rich compound and bonds with water easily. Algae needs a nitrate-rich environment to grow in.
The type of algae spawned is contingent on several factors. However, if conditions are right, the algae will produce domoic acid. It's this acid that can do severe damage to marine mammals and their nervous systems.
In California, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, domoic acid from algae blooms laid wasted to hundreds of sea lions (and eventually pelicans and dolphins).
It has yet to be proven the domoic acid is the toxin causing the IRL manatees to drown. But this old journalist is following the blood trail.