Articles of Interest

                   Red Tide, Manatee, and Humans

The Endangered Florida Manatee

     According to an article published by Harbor Branch Oceano- graphic Institute entitled "Red Tide Impacts Increasing for Manatee and Humans", red tide, an algal bloom, is becoming increasingly more common in Florida.  A study released in January 2006 shows that 2005 was the deadliest on record for the manatee.  A leading cause was red tide, specifically toxins produced by the bloom of alga Karina brevis in Florida estuaries.  Gregory Bossart, a marine mammal veterinarian and pathologist, regards manatee as "sentinels for serious environmental and human problems".  He says that the effect of prolonged inhalation of red tide affects humans much the same way it does the sick and dying manatee.  Research on mice indicates suppression of the immune system although, interestingly, the effect does not seem to be as pronounced as it is in humans.  Manatee get a double dose of the red tide when they ingest toxins that remain sequestered in sea grasses for weeks or months after the bloom.


              La Nina Makes Your Day Shorter

     “The Earth's rotation is affected”  by La Nina says Jean Dickey, Ph.D., a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.  Geophysicists have determined that the earth rotates faster during La Nina.  An article published in Science Today courtesy of Ivanhoe Broadcast News and dated January 1, 2008 explains.  The temperature of the Pacific Ocean cools causing the jet stream to slow down.  Something has to compensate for the lost energy so the earth spins faster to make the adjustment. This makes a La Nina day a whole millisecond shorter.  Don’t panic!  A change that small is of no consequence in the lives of the average person although it can impact precise navigational measurements.  Besides that, for every La Nina that steals time from our day, an El Nino comes along to warm ocean water and speed up the jet stream so we regain our lost time.  According to Dr Dickey “Between a warm event and a cold event, they balance each other out.”