In mid-December last year, a mysterious black water overtook the normally bluishgreen waters of Florida Bay. Over the course of the winter, the extent of thewater grew to encompass an area as big as Lake Okeechobee, Florida, beforesubsiding over the last few weeks. These images taken by the Sea-viewingWide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS), flying aboard the Orbview-2 satellite, showthe progression of the black water over the last three months. The affectedwater sits along the southeastern coast of Florida about fifty miles north ofthe Florida Keys.
As of now, scientists do not know why the water appears black in satellite andaerial images or whether the water is harming the wildlife. They speculate thatit could be due to an exotic algae bloom, an underwater fountain pushing upsediments from the ocean floor, or possibly chemical and sediment run-off fromthe nearby Shark River. Researchers at the Florida Marine Research Institute inSt. Petersburg and the Mote Marine Research Institute in Sarasota are runningtests to determine the chemical make-up of the water.
No big fish kills have been reported in the area. But fishermen saythe catch has been low this winter. In addition, the black water sits just northof the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which is home to one of thelargest coral reef habitats in the United States. Toxic run-off from theFlorida coastline and motor boats in the area have already destroyed many ofFlorida’s reefs. Scientists are concerned that if the extent of the black watergrows again, it could endanger these reefs.
Information provided by the Naples Daily News.
For up-to-date images of the area, view these SeaWiFS Images of Florida Bay.
References & Resources
Image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE
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