Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Agricultural runoff and Weeki Wachee

Threaded View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1

    Agricultural runoff and Weeki Wachee

    Back in 2013 National Geographic ran an article on the problems artificial nitrogen fertilizers are causing in ecosystems around the world

    http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...d/charles-text

    In the photo gallery that accompanied the article

    http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...ck-photography

    one of the examples they used was Weeki Wachee Springs- comparing the relatively barren floor of the spring today, to what it was like in the 1940s.

    Name:  02-mermaid-show-weeki-wachee-springs-670.jpg
Views: 3292
Size:  109.0 KB
    Caption: "When the mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida made its debut in 1947, the bathing beauties swam among waving fronds of eelgrass. Today algae fed by nitrogen fertilizer from farms and lawns crowd out many of the springs’ native plants." Photo by Peter Essick

    You can see the original plant life in this silent 16mm film made in 1948



    When my family moved to Canada I saw a lake near our new home that had been protected from pollution, and had beautiful beds of seagrass and bottlebrush plants; succumb to agricultural runoff and become relatively barren. In this case though, it happened much faster.

    OTOH, when my family moved there Lake Ontario was a greenish, disgusting mess, and in the intervening years cleanup efforts have the water looking clear, and they have the blue flag approval of the beach water quality. Lots of fish swarm in the shallows around the beaches now, and there are beautiful stands of bottlebrush plants off places like Cherry Beach in Toronto, with predator fish lurking inside waiting to lunge out and grab the little guys.

    Something can be done about this.
    Last edited by AptaMer; 05-05-2017 at 10:47 PM.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •