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The Florida Water Contamination Crisis: (Portal, 2018 Abraham, 2023)
The Florida Water Contamination Crisis: (Portal, 2018 Abraham, 2023)
Table of Contents
Executive Summary...........................................................................................................
Root of the Contamination................................................................................................
The Increase in Agriculture............................................................................................
Danger Presented from Algal Blooms...........................................................................
Potential Implementations...............................................................................................
Decreasing the Agricultural Burden..............................................................................
Hindering Growth..........................................................................................................
The Processes behind the Implementations....................................................................
Nutrient Presence..........................................................................................................
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................
References..........................................................................................................................
Table of Figures
Figure 1...............................................................................................................................
Figure 2...............................................................................................................................
Figure 3...............................................................................................................................
Executive Summary
In the wake of the earth’s rapidly changing climate, humans have begun to see the effects of
the years of neglect towards our natural resources. In the recent decades, Florida has seen a
significant increase in its contaminated water. Human activity has produced toxic algae
blooms, which can contaminate water and grow at an exponential rate. This process is
believed to be due to Florida’s heavy reliance on agriculture, as the human population has
increased so quickly that the crops require more chemicals and nutrients to keep producing
at a viable level. There are multiple ways to attempt to address this issue. Some major
examples include increased regulation of agricultural fertilizers, or future bloom forecasting.
Figure 2: “Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population, World” (Ritchie,
2017)
Potential Implementations
Decreasing the Agricultural Burden
While algal blooms are a natural and necessary process in a plethora of marine ecosystems, it
is the rate and size of modern algal bloom formation where the problem lies. Nutrients such
as phosphorous and nitrogen are the primary elements necessary for an algal bloom, as well
as for many general agricultural purposes. That is the crossroad that is met. Florida relies so
heavily on agriculture, especially through the production of fruits, accounting for billions of
dollars annually and 9.7 million acres of land purely reserved for farming (U.S. Census Bureau
Trade Data, 2021). To decrease the reliance of agriculture could be devastating to not only the
economy, but to the millions of people that rely on these exports of food.
Hindering Growth
There are multiple signs that an algal bloom is either occurring or about to occur, such as
water discoloration, or a thick viscous surface lying on top of the water’s surface (Solitude
Lake Management, 2023). At this point, testing for cyanotoxins is imperative for safety, as
algae can grow exponentially in optimal environments. Phosphorous is a relatively easy
element for all kinds of plants to use for growth, however, humans have substantially
increased the amount of phosphorous that would typically be available to these ecosystems.
Through this deviation of the phosphorous cycle, more is being used for fertilizers and
agriculture, thus increasing the amount present in run off. The solution for this is by either
decreasing the amount of phosphorous in fertilizers, or outright eliminating its use, as there is
unfortunately no known chemical substitute providing the same properties as phosphorous.
However, recent studies show support for deployment of phosphorous binding agents into
these water bodies, which, as the name implies, lowers the immediate availability of
phosphorous for the algae to consume. This is done by phosphorous ions binding to a denser
reagent, thus sinking down to the bottom of the water body in order to support plant life on
aquatic floors such as seagrass. However, this process has shown that it can only go so far in
the reduction of phosphorous, as approximating concentrations by gauging the amount of a
certain type of atom present in a large body of water is very difficult. Therefore, mass algal
blooms should be met with more haste and aggression (Algae Control Canada).
Reduction of Run Off
While the solutions presented can be viable, it cannot be feasible over an extended period of
timeperiod at the rate in which humans are affecting marine ecosystems. The more direct
approach is through a means of reducing or eliminating the run offrunoff providing the
necessary nutrients for algal blooming. A A possible solution that can cause growth
hinderance would be a more efficient means of storm water collection. Through reducing the
amount of direct water run off during a rainstorm, there is a reduction in the amount of
chemicals being deposited into water bodies.
Conclusion
The threat of climate change and pollution has made itself known in many ways, and the
upsurge of Florida’s algal blooms are merely one repercussion of the lack of attention paid to
earth’s ecosystems. It is now believed that human activity alone produces more nitrogen than
all of the earth’s natural processes combined (United Nations, 2023). In other words, humans
are now the primary producer of usable nitrogen on earth. It cannot be overstated how much
responsibility humans hold in this matter. The time to act is now. Implementing these
solutions with haste is necessary if we want to attempt to preserve the life of these
ecosystems, and in turn all of the industries, organisms, and societies that depend on them. It
is unfortunate that it may be too late to end the production of these pollutants, but mitigating
these effects with real action is still possible.
References
“Toxic Algae Bloom Threatens Florida Coasts (Again).” Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, 30
June 2018, www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/06/30/its-kind-of-horrific-toxic-
algae- bloom-threatens-florida-coasts-again/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.
Egan, Dan, and Josh Ritchie. “It’s Toxic Slime Time on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.” The New
York Times, 9 July 2023, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/09/climate/florida-lake-
okeechobee-algae.html. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.
Miller, Brittney. “Florida’s Algae Problem: What Is It, and How Can It Affect You?” Thompson
Earth Systems Institute, 27 Jan. 2022,
www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/earth-systems/blog/floridas- algae-problem-what-is-it-
and-how-can-it-affect-you/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.
Havens, Karl. “What’s Causing Florida’s Algae Crisis?” Earth Island Journal, 16 Aug. 2018,
www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/whats-causing-floridas-algae-
crisis/
“Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.” Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services, May 2023, www.fdacs.gov/Agriculture-Industry/Florida-Agriculture-
Overview-and-Statistics. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.
“Deal with High Levels of Phosphorus: Water Management Solutions.” Algae Control Canada,
12 Dec. 2020, algaecontrol.ca/phosphorus-management/. Accessed 8 Nov. 2023.
Xia, Yinfeng, et al. “Recent Advances in Control Technologies for Non-Point Source Pollution
with Nitrogen and Phosphorous from Agricultural Runoff: Current Practices and Future
Prospects - Applied Biological Chemistry.” Springer Open, 4 Feb. 2020,
applbiolchem.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13765-020-0493-6. Accessed 9 Nov.
2023.
Xu, Fangjie, et al. “Effects of Different Fertilizer Formulas on the Growth of Loquat Rootstocks
and Stem Lignification.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 23 Jan. 2020,
www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-57270-5#Sec13. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.
Environment, UN. “Beat Nitrogen Pollution.” UNEP, United Nations, 28 Sept. 2023,
www.unep.org/interactives/beat-nitrogen-pollution/#:~:text=The%20amount%20of
%20reactive%20nitrogen,the%20rates%20of%20nitrogen%20fixation. Accessed 7 Nov.
2023.