1 00:00:01,833 --> 00:00:04,700 They are always out there. 2 00:00:04,700 --> 00:00:06,966 At any one time, if you take a drop of water 3 00:00:06,966 --> 00:00:08,500 from anywhere in the oceans, 4 00:00:08,500 --> 00:00:12,100 you'll literally see hundreds of different species. 5 00:00:12,100 --> 00:00:16,733 But sometimes, algae grow out of control. 6 00:00:16,733 --> 00:00:18,266 What we're really concerned about 7 00:00:18,266 --> 00:00:22,100 is the frequency and the duration and the intensity 8 00:00:22,100 --> 00:00:23,700 of these blooms. 9 00:00:23,700 --> 00:00:25,733 Harmful algal blooms 10 00:00:25,733 --> 00:00:28,333 have dominated the headlines. 11 00:00:28,333 --> 00:00:30,133 What used to be isolated blooms 12 00:00:30,133 --> 00:00:34,433 are now becoming very, very common and widespread. 13 00:00:34,433 --> 00:00:37,700 And they are affecting the ecosystem. 14 00:00:37,700 --> 00:00:40,066 I think even just looking at our historic numbers 15 00:00:40,066 --> 00:00:42,133 we saw higher numbers in our area of strandings 16 00:00:42,133 --> 00:00:47,100 this past year with both sea turtles and marine mammals. 17 00:00:48,333 --> 00:00:50,966 But how are they impacting human health? 18 00:00:50,966 --> 00:00:53,933 You can end up in the hospital for weeks. 19 00:00:53,933 --> 00:00:57,133 And will they ever go away? 20 00:00:57,133 --> 00:00:58,700 One thing we do know 21 00:00:58,700 --> 00:01:02,966 is we seem to be seeing bigger and longer-lasting blooms. 22 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:09,100 23 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:26,900 Major funding for this program 23 00:01:26,933 --> 00:01:29,333 was provided by the Bachelor Foundation, 24 00:01:29,333 --> 00:01:32,666 encouraging people to preserve and protect 25 00:01:32,666 --> 00:01:37,300 America's underwater resources, 26 00:01:37,300 --> 00:01:42,300 and by the William J. & Tina Rosenberg Foundation, 27 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,900 the Do Unto Others Trust, 28 00:01:45,900 --> 00:01:46,600 and by the following. 29 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:51,366 (tense music) 30 00:01:55,900 --> 00:01:58,966 Algae are aquatic plant-like organisms 31 00:01:58,966 --> 00:02:01,233 that include a broad range of species 32 00:02:01,233 --> 00:02:05,433 from microscopic phytoplankton to large seaweeds. 33 00:02:05,433 --> 00:02:10,266 They are the energy producers of the sea. 34 00:02:10,266 --> 00:02:11,866 At these low levels, 35 00:02:11,866 --> 00:02:14,333 they're a food source for other organisms. 36 00:02:14,333 --> 00:02:17,533 It's just at the high levels, where we get blooms, 37 00:02:17,533 --> 00:02:21,766 where they become, if you will, killers. 38 00:02:21,766 --> 00:02:24,266 When algae grow out of control, 39 00:02:24,266 --> 00:02:27,766 they can cause harmful algal blooms. 40 00:02:27,766 --> 00:02:31,600 So, harmful algal blooms are just occurrences of algae 41 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:33,866 that have some kind of negative repercussion 42 00:02:33,866 --> 00:02:35,866 either to the environment or to humans, 43 00:02:35,866 --> 00:02:39,966 either human health, economy, tourism, things like that. 44 00:02:39,966 --> 00:02:42,633 Harmful algal blooms have been reported 45 00:02:42,633 --> 00:02:46,133 in Florida since the time of the Spanish Conquistadors. 46 00:02:46,133 --> 00:02:49,400 What is changing now, these things occur naturally, 47 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,100 these are algae that have existed in the oceans 48 00:02:51,100 --> 00:02:54,300 long before we even had societies as humans. 49 00:02:54,300 --> 00:02:56,866 They're starting to grow more frequently 50 00:02:56,866 --> 00:02:58,500 into these harmful algal blooms 51 00:02:58,500 --> 00:03:00,900 and spreading out where we see them in our waters. 52 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:02,500 So, what used to be isolated blooms 53 00:03:02,500 --> 00:03:06,366 are now becoming very, very common and widespread. 54 00:03:06,366 --> 00:03:08,200 So, this is a problem. 55 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:13,200 57 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,380 Florida Atlantic University's 56 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,800 Dr. Brian Lapointe is an algae specialist 57 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:27,066 interested in how nutrient pollution 58 00:03:27,066 --> 00:03:30,166 affects algal blooms. 59 00:03:30,166 --> 00:03:34,600 To figure it out, he samples the macroalgae sargassum 60 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,333 from his lab in the Florida Keys. 61 00:03:37,333 --> 00:03:38,666 We have many, many species, 62 00:03:38,666 --> 00:03:42,733 but Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans 63 00:03:42,733 --> 00:03:45,866 are the only species that have adapted 64 00:03:45,866 --> 00:03:49,833 to this floating life on the ocean surface. 65 00:03:49,833 --> 00:03:52,233 A common sight in the tropical 66 00:03:52,233 --> 00:03:53,633 and subtropical ocean, 67 00:03:53,633 --> 00:03:57,066 sargassum mats are important for the ecosystem. 68 00:03:58,433 --> 00:04:02,100 Sargassum in its natural state is a very positive thing. 69 00:04:03,466 --> 00:04:05,833 Sargassum that is floating on the ocean surface 70 00:04:05,833 --> 00:04:10,833 supports a diverse array of invertebrates and fishes 71 00:04:11,700 --> 00:04:13,166 that are associated with it. 72 00:04:13,166 --> 00:04:15,766 Some of these are endemic, in fact, 73 00:04:15,766 --> 00:04:17,633 they don't grow anywhere else. 74 00:04:17,633 --> 00:04:19,500 But like any algae, 75 00:04:19,500 --> 00:04:22,566 sargassum can grow out of control, 76 00:04:22,566 --> 00:04:24,866 causing a harmful algal bloom. 77 00:04:24,866 --> 00:04:28,733 What we've seen happen, just since 2011, 78 00:04:28,733 --> 00:04:33,700 is what I call too much of a good thing. 79 00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:37,666 These dramatic increases in sargassum growth 80 00:04:37,666 --> 00:04:39,166 are thought to be caused by increases 81 00:04:39,166 --> 00:04:41,866 in nutrients in the water. 82 00:04:41,866 --> 00:04:43,866 We have some major river discharges, 83 00:04:43,866 --> 00:04:48,633 all carrying increasing nutrients to the coastal ocean, 84 00:04:48,633 --> 00:04:51,900 where they become available to sargassum. 85 00:04:51,900 --> 00:04:53,733 But other factors as well, 86 00:04:53,733 --> 00:04:55,433 such as atmospheric deposition, 87 00:04:55,433 --> 00:04:58,633 rainfall carrying increasing amounts of nitrate, 88 00:04:58,633 --> 00:05:03,200 for example, can be playing another major role 89 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,833 in delivering more nitrogen to sargassum. 90 00:05:06,833 --> 00:05:08,166 And while sargassum 91 00:05:09,033 --> 00:05:11,066 is not a toxic marine algae, 92 00:05:11,066 --> 00:05:14,866 coastal communities feel the negative impacts. 93 00:05:14,866 --> 00:05:17,966 The infrastructure to deal 94 00:05:17,966 --> 00:05:22,933 with these excessive amounts of sargassum is just not there. 95 00:05:22,933 --> 00:05:24,833 We've never had to deal with this before. 96 00:05:24,833 --> 00:05:27,733 I hear from resorts around the Caribbean 97 00:05:27,733 --> 00:05:30,533 that are literally ready to shut down. 98 00:05:30,533 --> 00:05:33,566 They are powerless to do anything 99 00:05:33,566 --> 00:05:34,966 to deal with this problem. 100 00:05:34,966 --> 00:05:36,966 They've tried a variety of things, 101 00:05:36,966 --> 00:05:38,500 they tried to haul it off the beach, 102 00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:42,633 and that might work on certain days when the wind is low, 103 00:05:42,633 --> 00:05:43,866 and the currents aren't strong. 104 00:05:43,866 --> 00:05:48,733 But ultimately, forces of nature overcome. 105 00:05:49,933 --> 00:05:52,200 One theory is that a sargassum bloom 106 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:54,833 might trigger other kinds of algal blooms. 107 00:05:54,833 --> 00:05:57,966 As the sargassum decomposes, 108 00:05:57,966 --> 00:06:00,800 it releases chemical compounds, 109 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,700 including nutrients that can become problematic. 110 00:06:04,700 --> 00:06:08,066 Logically, anything that's gonna fertilize the oceans 111 00:06:08,066 --> 00:06:10,733 and give a release of nutrients is a problem. 112 00:06:10,733 --> 00:06:15,733 (dramatic music) 113 00:06:24,100 --> 00:06:26,233 As part of his research, 114 00:06:26,233 --> 00:06:30,166 Dr. Malcolm McFarland regularly takes water samples 115 00:06:30,166 --> 00:06:33,000 from Florida's Indian River Lagoon. 116 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,166 So, this is a device that takes a measurement 117 00:06:36,166 --> 00:06:38,933 that is very similar to what a satellite might see 118 00:06:38,933 --> 00:06:40,800 orbiting the Earth. 119 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,033 It basically measures the color of the light 120 00:06:43,033 --> 00:06:44,233 that is reflected 121 00:06:44,233 --> 00:06:45,833 from the surface of the water back upwards. 122 00:06:45,833 --> 00:06:50,833 We generally sample once a week or every other week, 123 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:53,500 it depends on what time of year it is. 124 00:06:53,500 --> 00:06:56,833 We like to keep tabs on what's going on out there. 125 00:06:56,833 --> 00:06:59,000 These are basically plants, 126 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:03,000 so they require fertilizer, just like land plants do. 127 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,766 A lot of those nutrients come from agricultural runoff 128 00:07:07,766 --> 00:07:11,866 or sewage treatment plants, people's septic systems. 129 00:07:11,866 --> 00:07:14,800 All these sources are increasing the amount 130 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:19,000 of nutrient pollution that is entering the lagoon 131 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,966 and other coastal waters. 132 00:07:21,966 --> 00:07:25,133 One species Dr. McFarland monitors for 133 00:07:25,133 --> 00:07:28,866 creates what is known as brown tide. 134 00:07:28,866 --> 00:07:31,066 The brown tide refers to a species 135 00:07:31,066 --> 00:07:33,933 called Aureoumbra lagunensis, 136 00:07:33,933 --> 00:07:35,433 and this is especially abundant 137 00:07:35,433 --> 00:07:37,866 in the very northern parts of the Indian River Lagoon, 138 00:07:37,866 --> 00:07:39,900 near Cape Canaveral. 139 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:42,166 Brown tide makes the water 140 00:07:42,166 --> 00:07:44,966 look like chocolate milk. 141 00:07:44,966 --> 00:07:47,966 The water turns brown, dark, dark brown. 142 00:07:47,966 --> 00:07:50,933 So, at nighttime, they're actually using oxygen 143 00:07:50,933 --> 00:07:52,866 just like we do, for respiration. 144 00:07:52,866 --> 00:07:54,966 They can draw down the oxygen in the water, 145 00:07:54,966 --> 00:07:56,866 and they can cause a fish kill. 146 00:07:56,866 --> 00:07:59,000 So, all the other organisms that are in the water 147 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,966 that need oxygen suddenly can't breathe, essentially. 148 00:08:01,966 --> 00:08:05,333 It's an unusual species that a number of years ago 149 00:08:05,333 --> 00:08:09,133 was associated with deep, open ocean environments, 150 00:08:09,133 --> 00:08:10,966 but it has found a niche within these 151 00:08:10,966 --> 00:08:12,933 coastal lagoons here in Florida, 152 00:08:12,933 --> 00:08:15,066 and also over in Texas. 153 00:08:15,066 --> 00:08:17,066 It is a very small cell. 154 00:08:17,066 --> 00:08:18,900 So, it's only a little bit bigger than most bacteria, 155 00:08:18,900 --> 00:08:20,833 but it gets incredibly abundant. 156 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:23,166 As far as we know, it is not toxic. 157 00:08:23,166 --> 00:08:25,033 It has not been terribly well-studied 158 00:08:25,033 --> 00:08:30,033 as some of the other organisms, like the red tide. 159 00:08:31,233 --> 00:08:33,900 Red tide is another harmful algal bloom, 160 00:08:33,900 --> 00:08:37,100 one that does produce toxins. 161 00:08:37,100 --> 00:08:40,866 Severe red tide outbreaks have made headlines as fish, 162 00:08:40,866 --> 00:08:42,766 some as large as whale sharks, 163 00:08:42,766 --> 00:08:46,966 as well as sick or dead sea turtles and marine mammals, 164 00:08:46,966 --> 00:08:48,900 have washed up onshore. 165 00:08:48,900 --> 00:08:51,233 Red tide generally refers to 166 00:08:51,233 --> 00:08:53,866 a bloom of a species called Karenia brevis. 167 00:08:53,866 --> 00:08:55,933 It's a type of dinoflagellate, 168 00:08:55,933 --> 00:08:57,833 which is a type of phytoplankton that is common 169 00:08:57,833 --> 00:08:59,966 throughout the world's oceans. 170 00:08:59,966 --> 00:09:01,900 And generally, when it gets very abundant, 171 00:09:01,900 --> 00:09:05,866 it can discolor the water red, hence the name red tide. 172 00:09:05,866 --> 00:09:07,900 It's a really interesting creature. 173 00:09:07,900 --> 00:09:11,933 It has animal-like characteristics 174 00:09:11,933 --> 00:09:14,933 and it has plant-like characteristics. 175 00:09:14,933 --> 00:09:17,133 The animal-like characteristics 176 00:09:17,133 --> 00:09:19,200 is that it has a couple flagella, 177 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,833 and it can actually swim up to the surface. 178 00:09:22,833 --> 00:09:27,800 The plant-like characteristics are that it photosynthesizes. 179 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:31,400 So, it's in one of these unique categories 180 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:33,933 that have a little mix of both. 181 00:09:33,933 --> 00:09:38,066 Karenia brevis is particularly bad, um 182 00:09:38,066 --> 00:09:40,233 it produces a toxin called brevetoxin. 183 00:09:40,233 --> 00:09:43,166 That's where the Brevis name comes from. 184 00:09:43,166 --> 00:09:45,266 It is a neurotoxin. 185 00:09:45,266 --> 00:09:46,933 Red tides are a regular occurrence 186 00:09:46,933 --> 00:09:48,933 off the Florida coast. 187 00:09:48,933 --> 00:09:52,800 Florida gets them pretty close to annually. 188 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:54,933 Now people will kinda scratch their heads at that 189 00:09:54,933 --> 00:09:57,866 and say, oh, I remember such and such a year there, 190 00:09:57,866 --> 00:10:01,166 we didn't have any dead fish on the beach. 191 00:10:01,166 --> 00:10:03,933 Sometimes the way the physical oceanography works, 192 00:10:03,933 --> 00:10:07,833 there's a red tide perhaps sitting 10 miles offshore, 193 00:10:07,833 --> 00:10:09,033 but the currents are such 194 00:10:09,033 --> 00:10:13,133 that they don't get pushed onshore. 195 00:10:13,133 --> 00:10:16,933 In 2017, there was a severe red tide outbreak 196 00:10:16,933 --> 00:10:19,066 off the west coast of Florida. 197 00:10:19,066 --> 00:10:22,933 The extensive bloom lasted nearly a year and a half, 198 00:10:22,933 --> 00:10:26,033 even making its way to the east coast of Florida 199 00:10:26,033 --> 00:10:30,000 for a few months, which is a rare occurrence. 200 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:31,266 It got advected over, 201 00:10:31,266 --> 00:10:33,033 most likely through the Florida Current 202 00:10:33,033 --> 00:10:34,233 and up through the Gulf Stream, 203 00:10:34,233 --> 00:10:36,066 up into the east coast area of Florida. 204 00:10:36,066 --> 00:10:37,966 We hope that is not a harbinger 205 00:10:37,966 --> 00:10:39,900 of what may happen in the future, 206 00:10:39,900 --> 00:10:42,000 that the blooms on the west coast 207 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:43,966 are getting bigger and more persistent, 208 00:10:43,966 --> 00:10:46,966 and because of that, their chances of getting 209 00:10:46,966 --> 00:10:49,233 moved over to the east coast are now gonna go up. 210 00:10:49,233 --> 00:10:50,433 And if the east coast may start seeing 211 00:10:50,433 --> 00:10:54,166 these same kind of effects year after year. 212 00:10:54,166 --> 00:10:56,900 During that same outbreak, 213 00:10:58,366 --> 00:10:59,966 Dr. Monica Lara conducted regular reef monitoring 214 00:10:59,966 --> 00:11:02,500 with her students on the rocky reefs 215 00:11:02,500 --> 00:11:05,133 off the west coast of Florida. 216 00:11:05,133 --> 00:11:08,066 About a couple of weeks after we believe the red tide 217 00:11:08,066 --> 00:11:09,133 came through on some of those reefs, 218 00:11:09,133 --> 00:11:11,133 we did go out and dive, 219 00:11:11,133 --> 00:11:12,966 and it was a dramatic difference. 220 00:11:12,966 --> 00:11:15,000 There were very few fish, 221 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:16,200 the invertebrates were still there, 222 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,566 but there were some bivalves that were dead 223 00:11:18,566 --> 00:11:20,000 all over the place. 224 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,866 One of the theories, and that's all it is, is a theory, 225 00:11:22,866 --> 00:11:27,000 is that red tide released the toxin, 226 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:28,933 the toxin gets in the water, 227 00:11:28,933 --> 00:11:31,866 goes across the gill slits of fish. 228 00:11:31,866 --> 00:11:34,133 Again, it's a neurotoxin, 229 00:11:34,133 --> 00:11:36,000 so it affects the central nervous system, 230 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,166 and the fish quit breathing. 231 00:11:38,166 --> 00:11:40,066 Kills the fish. 232 00:11:40,066 --> 00:11:41,900 The reef was silent. 233 00:11:41,900 --> 00:11:45,066 It's like the sounds from the animals were completely gone. 234 00:11:45,066 --> 00:11:47,966 So, it was like desert, a silent desert. 235 00:11:47,966 --> 00:11:49,900 It was really, really dramatic. 236 00:11:49,900 --> 00:11:53,300 Once the dead fish begin to wash up on shore 237 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:54,333 during a red tide event, 238 00:11:54,333 --> 00:11:57,100 many birds start to feed on them. 239 00:11:57,100 --> 00:12:01,033 Early signs of a red tide in and the seabirds 240 00:12:01,033 --> 00:12:03,900 is kind of staggering, drunk behavior, 241 00:12:03,900 --> 00:12:06,933 or they won't be able to stand or walk. 242 00:12:06,933 --> 00:12:10,966 Kind of be placed on the ground, just sitting there. 243 00:12:10,966 --> 00:12:13,966 It really affects their neurological system, 244 00:12:13,966 --> 00:12:16,000 so they just are kind of hopeless 245 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:19,966 until somebody picks them up or they die. 246 00:12:19,966 --> 00:12:23,000 Rescue groups say seabirds of all sizes 247 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:26,033 were affected by the red tide outbreak. 248 00:12:26,033 --> 00:12:28,033 We actually see the smaller birds, 249 00:12:28,033 --> 00:12:29,933 like the ruddy turnstones and the sanderlings, first. 250 00:12:29,933 --> 00:12:32,900 They are kind of our canary in the coalmine. 251 00:12:32,900 --> 00:12:34,266 We'll see them immediately, 252 00:12:34,266 --> 00:12:36,033 and then we start getting the bigger species, 253 00:12:36,033 --> 00:12:40,000 like the laughing gulls and the double-crested cormorants. 254 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,000 Seabirds are impacted not only 255 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,066 from eating poisoned fish, 256 00:12:44,066 --> 00:12:47,766 but also from swimming through bloom-filled waters 257 00:12:47,766 --> 00:12:50,100 and inhaling the brevetoxin. 258 00:12:50,100 --> 00:12:52,066 With fluid therapy, 259 00:12:52,066 --> 00:12:55,866 the stronger birds are able to expel the toxins and recover. 260 00:12:55,866 --> 00:12:59,066 We release about 3/4 of the sick birds, 261 00:12:59,066 --> 00:13:04,033 which for being such a bad red tide was really good. 262 00:13:05,033 --> 00:13:07,166 During this severe bloom, 263 00:13:07,166 --> 00:13:09,033 rescue missions were also underway 264 00:13:09,033 --> 00:13:13,000 at neighboring Mote Marine Laboratory. 265 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,933 We had extremely elevated numbers of strandings. 266 00:13:15,933 --> 00:13:18,033 We've recovered over 300 sea turtles this year, 267 00:13:18,033 --> 00:13:20,033 over 30 dolphins, 268 00:13:20,033 --> 00:13:23,866 assisted with countless manatee recoveries and rescues. 269 00:13:23,866 --> 00:13:27,066 Marine animals are affected by the brevetoxin 270 00:13:27,066 --> 00:13:29,100 in different ways. 271 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:30,333 So, for our sea turtles, 272 00:13:30,333 --> 00:13:32,033 they generally get it through their food, 273 00:13:32,033 --> 00:13:36,133 and it's a neurotoxin. They get really disoriented, 274 00:13:36,133 --> 00:13:38,100 they have a hard time surfacing and clearing to get air. 275 00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:40,966 So, a lot of the carcasses we were recovering 276 00:13:40,966 --> 00:13:42,466 had you know indications of drowning. 277 00:13:42,466 --> 00:13:44,966 If we can get to the animals in time, we can get them help, 278 00:13:44,966 --> 00:13:48,933 But, unfortunately, you know, there aren't people out there to see them. 279 00:13:48,933 --> 00:13:52,000 Similarly, for the manatees, it's also a neurotoxin. 280 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,133 They get that through their airways when they're breathing. 281 00:13:55,133 --> 00:13:56,600 And much like the turtles, 282 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:59,100 if we can get to them in time, they can come out of it. 283 00:13:59,100 --> 00:14:01,033 We've had animals that we're holding their head 284 00:14:01,033 --> 00:14:03,866 because they won't even surface to breathe. 285 00:14:03,866 --> 00:14:05,066 As we hold their head and they're breathing 286 00:14:05,066 --> 00:14:08,066 a little bit fresher air that's not right at 287 00:14:08,066 --> 00:14:09,566 the air-water interface, they can come out of it. 288 00:14:09,566 --> 00:14:12,033 And they can metabolize that toxin and actually like leave 289 00:14:12,033 --> 00:14:14,066 while we're waiting for the rescue trucks to get there. 290 00:14:14,066 --> 00:14:16,933 So, it's, um, that's, those are always sort of interesting cases. 291 00:14:16,933 --> 00:14:19,833 And for the dolphins, we don't have a great handle. 292 00:14:19,833 --> 00:14:21,300 We know they get it through their food, 293 00:14:21,300 --> 00:14:25,133 but we haven't had any live dolphins to respond to. 294 00:14:25,133 --> 00:14:27,166 We know it kills them, 295 00:14:27,166 --> 00:14:28,966 because we've recovered many carcasses, 296 00:14:28,966 --> 00:14:31,033 and most of the animals that we've tested from the summer 297 00:14:31,033 --> 00:14:33,800 had been positive for brevetoxin at high levels. 298 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:36,966 So, we know that's acute cause of stranding. 299 00:14:36,966 --> 00:14:41,966 But I don't know how it affects them when they're alive. 300 00:14:43,133 --> 00:14:45,933 Humans are also vulnerable to red tide, 301 00:14:45,933 --> 00:14:47,333 since it can aerosolize, 302 00:14:47,333 --> 00:14:52,133 and its toxic particles can be breathed in. 303 00:14:52,133 --> 00:14:55,033 A certain subgroup of humans are very susceptible 304 00:14:55,033 --> 00:14:58,166 to breathing the airborne toxins, 305 00:14:58,166 --> 00:15:03,133 and in particular, asthmatics need to be very careful 306 00:15:03,133 --> 00:15:05,100 when there's a red tide in town 307 00:15:05,100 --> 00:15:08,066 to not be exposed to the toxins. 308 00:15:08,066 --> 00:15:12,133 The good news is, everybody reacts to the toxin, 309 00:15:12,133 --> 00:15:15,033 and when you inhale it, you get a dry cough, 310 00:15:15,033 --> 00:15:18,033 you get nasal congestion, you get eye tearing. 311 00:15:18,033 --> 00:15:20,000 And why I say that's good 312 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,966 is that you know you're getting exposed. 313 00:15:22,966 --> 00:15:25,933 It's not like something like radon, 314 00:15:25,933 --> 00:15:28,033 that you have no knowledge of. 315 00:15:28,033 --> 00:15:33,033 So, the important message is, don't avoid the beach, 316 00:15:34,133 --> 00:15:36,066 but know what beaches are impacted 317 00:15:36,066 --> 00:15:38,900 and what beaches are okay. 318 00:15:38,900 --> 00:15:41,033 Brevetoxin likely becomes airborne 319 00:15:41,033 --> 00:15:42,333 through wave action. 320 00:15:42,333 --> 00:15:45,866 Humans can also get sick from consuming fish 321 00:15:45,866 --> 00:15:49,700 or other seafood that have been exposed to red tide. 322 00:15:49,700 --> 00:15:51,200 Fish consume the toxin, 323 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,866 and the toxin accumulates in the guts of the fish. 324 00:15:54,866 --> 00:15:59,866 So, if we fish during a red tide, and you filet it, 325 00:16:01,066 --> 00:16:03,766 you won't get sick from any potential toxin, 326 00:16:03,766 --> 00:16:06,700 because the toxin's in the guts of the fish. 327 00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:08,533 We do need to educate people, 328 00:16:08,533 --> 00:16:12,400 there are some cultures who consume whole fish soup. 329 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,066 And so, they need to know that during red tides, 330 00:16:15,066 --> 00:16:17,233 you can't throw the whole fish in there. 331 00:16:17,233 --> 00:16:20,900 Your family potentially can get sick. 332 00:16:20,900 --> 00:16:23,466 The causes of red tide blooms 333 00:16:23,466 --> 00:16:26,266 still aren't clear, although it is thought 334 00:16:26,266 --> 00:16:29,366 that there has to be a perfect mix of temperature, 335 00:16:29,366 --> 00:16:32,933 oceanic conditions, and nutrients. 336 00:16:32,933 --> 00:16:35,533 During certain years, the conditions seemed right, 337 00:16:35,533 --> 00:16:37,300 that there's some kind of a nutrient 338 00:16:37,300 --> 00:16:39,100 that is added to the system. 339 00:16:40,533 --> 00:16:42,233 And so, then they're able to increase in numbers. 340 00:16:42,233 --> 00:16:44,633 What that nutrient is, we're not sure. 341 00:16:44,633 --> 00:16:46,500 Whatever that nutrient is, 342 00:16:46,500 --> 00:16:50,166 some experts say humans likely introduced it 343 00:16:50,166 --> 00:16:51,666 into the oceans. 344 00:16:51,666 --> 00:16:53,500 Average abundance of red tide on the west coast now 345 00:16:53,500 --> 00:16:57,766 is about 15 times more than it was 50 years ago. 346 00:16:57,766 --> 00:17:00,200 To generate 15 times more red tide, 347 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:01,966 you need 15 times more nutrients, 348 00:17:01,966 --> 00:17:04,566 and I can't think of any natural sources of nutrients 349 00:17:04,566 --> 00:17:06,333 that have increased 15-fold. 350 00:17:06,333 --> 00:17:08,366 But of course what has increased dramatically 351 00:17:08,366 --> 00:17:09,933 here in South Florida over the last 50 years 352 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,566 is number of people, agricultural interests, and so on. 353 00:17:16,566 --> 00:17:18,100 We're just driving along the northern side 354 00:17:18,100 --> 00:17:19,466 of the Caloosahatchee River 355 00:17:19,466 --> 00:17:21,333 sampling in various locations along there, right, 356 00:17:21,333 --> 00:17:25,466 we just finished sampling the Ortona Lock. 357 00:17:25,466 --> 00:17:27,300 It's one of three damns and locks 358 00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:29,266 on the Caloosahatchee River. 359 00:17:29,266 --> 00:17:31,900 And now we're heading over to the west coast. 360 00:17:31,900 --> 00:17:35,333 Red tide isn't the only algal bloom 361 00:17:35,333 --> 00:17:38,700 that's been wreaking serious havoc in Florida waterways 362 00:17:38,700 --> 00:17:40,233 in recent years. 363 00:17:41,666 --> 00:17:44,500 Dr. Larry Brand has been sampling for cyanobacteria 364 00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:46,866 in the waters around Lake Okeechobee 365 00:17:46,866 --> 00:17:51,666 and in the Caloosahatchee River for almost 20 years. 366 00:17:52,533 --> 00:17:54,033 Well there's a lot of changes. 367 00:17:54,033 --> 00:17:56,566 I can't really say for sure there's been a longterm change 368 00:17:56,566 --> 00:17:58,300 over the past 20 years, but certainly, 369 00:17:58,300 --> 00:18:01,266 some years you have really bad blooms of cyanobacteria, 370 00:18:01,266 --> 00:18:04,033 and some years you have less so. 371 00:18:04,766 --> 00:18:04,933 But it's very clear that 372 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:06,133 these are very nutrient-rich waters, 373 00:18:07,533 --> 00:18:10,966 and you often do get these large blooms of cyanobacteria. 374 00:18:10,966 --> 00:18:13,133 When water levels in Florida's 375 00:18:13,133 --> 00:18:16,433 Lake Okeechobee get too high, flood managers, 376 00:18:16,433 --> 00:18:19,533 fearing a breach in the dike surrounding the lake, 377 00:18:20,700 --> 00:18:22,233 discharge billions of gallons of water 378 00:18:22,233 --> 00:18:25,366 through canals, rivers, and streams 379 00:18:25,366 --> 00:18:29,700 into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. 380 00:18:29,700 --> 00:18:31,766 This can bring nutrients which have built up 381 00:18:31,766 --> 00:18:34,433 in Lake Okeechobee to the estuaries, 382 00:18:34,433 --> 00:18:37,133 causing these algal blooms. 383 00:18:37,133 --> 00:18:40,333 The cyanobacteria tend to do better in warmer weather, 384 00:18:40,333 --> 00:18:45,333 so we tend to get these blooms primarily in the summertime. 385 00:18:46,533 --> 00:18:47,766 'Course it's also in the summertime 386 00:18:47,766 --> 00:18:49,033 because that's when you have more rainfall 387 00:18:49,033 --> 00:18:50,366 here in South Florida, that's the wet season, 388 00:18:50,366 --> 00:18:51,833 so you get a lot more land runoff, 389 00:18:51,833 --> 00:18:54,566 and of course that's the source of most of the nutrients 390 00:18:54,566 --> 00:18:57,266 in Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River. 391 00:18:57,266 --> 00:18:59,100 Various nutrient sources on land, 392 00:18:59,100 --> 00:19:00,500 and then during the wet season, 393 00:19:00,500 --> 00:19:02,133 all that rain water flushing those nutrients 394 00:19:02,133 --> 00:19:04,833 into the water bodies. 395 00:19:04,833 --> 00:19:07,633 Cyanobacteria are also known 396 00:19:07,633 --> 00:19:09,366 as blue-green algae. 397 00:19:09,366 --> 00:19:13,933 They were some of the first organisms on Earth. 398 00:19:13,933 --> 00:19:15,933 They're really tough, it's really hard to kill 'em. 399 00:19:17,366 --> 00:19:20,900 And we now know they produce a lot of pretty nasty toxins. 400 00:19:20,900 --> 00:19:22,966 They also produce over 1,000 other compounds 401 00:19:22,966 --> 00:19:24,666 which simply have not been characterized yet, 402 00:19:24,666 --> 00:19:27,100 we have no idea what the health hazards may be 403 00:19:27,100 --> 00:19:29,166 when you're exposed to these blooms. 404 00:19:29,166 --> 00:19:32,466 But some of the best known ones are for microcystin. 405 00:19:32,466 --> 00:19:35,400 That can lead to longterm liver damage 406 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:37,000 and even liver cancer, 407 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,166 and more recently we've discovered a compound called BMAA, 408 00:19:40,166 --> 00:19:42,700 and there's increasing evidence, pretty good evidence now, 409 00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:45,133 that it can lead to neurodegenerative diseases 410 00:19:45,133 --> 00:19:48,600 like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS. 411 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,633 Blooms of cyanobacteria 412 00:19:51,633 --> 00:19:53,966 are characteristically bright green, 413 00:19:53,966 --> 00:19:57,733 and can be as thick as guacamole. 414 00:19:57,733 --> 00:20:00,866 Every time I travel along the Caloosahatchee River here 415 00:20:00,866 --> 00:20:02,433 or along the shores of Lake Okeechobee, 416 00:20:02,433 --> 00:20:04,100 I see people fishing. 417 00:20:04,100 --> 00:20:07,433 I know there's high concentrations of BMAA in these fish 418 00:20:07,433 --> 00:20:09,333 and probably also microcystin. 419 00:20:09,333 --> 00:20:12,633 I certainly would not eat the fish in this river. 420 00:20:12,633 --> 00:20:14,466 But I do see people doing so. 421 00:20:14,466 --> 00:20:16,766 And there's no signs along any of these water bodies 422 00:20:16,766 --> 00:20:19,700 warning people about the presence of these toxins. 423 00:20:19,700 --> 00:20:22,566 Experts say the biggest question now 424 00:20:22,566 --> 00:20:25,800 is whether cyanobacteria pose an even bigger, 425 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:30,800 more silent threat than we know. 426 00:20:31,933 --> 00:20:33,500 Well right now what we're focusing on is the 427 00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:37,066 possibility of the toxins in these blooms of cyanobacteria 428 00:20:37,066 --> 00:20:38,366 getting into the air. 429 00:20:38,366 --> 00:20:40,366 Now for the red tide offshore, 430 00:20:40,366 --> 00:20:41,766 it's been known for a long time that 431 00:20:41,766 --> 00:20:43,000 that toxin gets into the air, 432 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,333 'cause it has immediate effects on people's 433 00:20:45,333 --> 00:20:47,533 eyes, nose, throat. 434 00:20:47,533 --> 00:20:50,266 I call that a good toxin in that you know right away 435 00:20:50,266 --> 00:20:51,466 you're being exposed to it, 436 00:20:51,466 --> 00:20:52,933 so you can do something about it. 437 00:20:52,933 --> 00:20:55,200 But these toxins here in these blooms of cyanobacteria, 438 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,700 like microcystin and BMAA, 439 00:20:58,933 --> 00:21:00,300 microcystin can have short-term effects, 440 00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:01,266 but the BMAA has no short-term effects, 441 00:21:01,266 --> 00:21:03,433 it only has longterm effects. 442 00:21:03,433 --> 00:21:06,500 If that toxin is getting into the air, 443 00:21:06,500 --> 00:21:07,766 if you live near this river 444 00:21:07,766 --> 00:21:08,933 or some of these other water bodies 445 00:21:08,933 --> 00:21:10,700 that get frequent blooms of cyanobacteria, 446 00:21:10,700 --> 00:21:14,333 you could be breathing in this BMAA, not know it, 447 00:21:14,333 --> 00:21:15,566 and then 10 or 20 years from now 448 00:21:15,566 --> 00:21:17,200 you could come down with Alzheimer's. 449 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,766 So it's a much more insidious toxin. 450 00:21:23,266 --> 00:21:25,366 To determine if cyanobacteria 451 00:21:25,366 --> 00:21:27,066 can become airborne, 452 00:21:27,066 --> 00:21:30,500 a multidisciplinary team at the University of Miami 453 00:21:30,500 --> 00:21:33,866 is working with Dr. Brand's water samples. 454 00:21:33,866 --> 00:21:36,400 The team designed a wave tank 455 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:41,400 to create conditions like those at Lake Okeechobee. 456 00:21:42,333 --> 00:21:44,200 We have a wind wave tank set up 457 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:49,166 in order to blow air and create more realistic conditions 458 00:21:50,066 --> 00:21:52,066 for the transfer of the aerosols 459 00:21:52,066 --> 00:21:53,966 across the air-sea interface. 460 00:21:53,966 --> 00:21:56,466 So we're gonna create this condition 461 00:21:56,466 --> 00:21:58,300 where the wind's blowing over the water surface 462 00:21:58,300 --> 00:21:59,766 and see what's produced. 463 00:21:59,766 --> 00:22:03,433 My lab does realtime techniques to measure the size 464 00:22:03,433 --> 00:22:05,766 as well as the composition of these particles, 465 00:22:06,866 --> 00:22:08,366 but if we wanna quantify their toxins, 466 00:22:08,366 --> 00:22:11,066 what we do is we collect the particles on a filter, 467 00:22:11,066 --> 00:22:13,766 and then Dr. Popendorf's lab extracts the material 468 00:22:13,766 --> 00:22:16,966 off of the filter and uses her mass spectrometer 469 00:22:16,966 --> 00:22:20,100 to quantify the toxins and also figure out which toxins 470 00:22:20,100 --> 00:22:21,633 are present in the samples. 471 00:22:21,633 --> 00:22:23,600 So the two techniques are really complementary 472 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,333 for understanding the impacts of these particles 473 00:22:26,333 --> 00:22:27,866 on human health. 474 00:22:27,866 --> 00:22:30,600 This project is in its early stages, 475 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,700 so the results are still unknown. 476 00:22:33,700 --> 00:22:35,933 But one researcher from the medical school 477 00:22:35,933 --> 00:22:40,200 is already anticipating some interesting results. 478 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,166 My lab studies neurological diseases, 479 00:22:43,166 --> 00:22:45,433 including neurodegenerative diseases, 480 00:22:46,300 --> 00:22:49,000 and we use fruit fly as a model. 481 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,000 After exposing some flies to cyanobacteria 482 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,600 from Lake Okeechobee blown through a bubbler for an hour, 483 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,566 Dr. Grace Zhai noticed some differences 484 00:22:58,566 --> 00:23:00,900 in the flies' behavior. 485 00:23:00,900 --> 00:23:04,033 So, there're several behavior tests 486 00:23:04,033 --> 00:23:08,166 to look at their nervous system function, 487 00:23:08,166 --> 00:23:11,466 and so, first one and most commonly used one 488 00:23:11,466 --> 00:23:13,466 is called a climbing behavior. 489 00:23:13,466 --> 00:23:15,400 So what you can see actually 490 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:19,266 is normally flies would climb up if I flip this, 491 00:23:19,266 --> 00:23:22,333 all the flies started to climb upwards. 492 00:23:22,333 --> 00:23:25,100 This is the first time we're running this experiment. 493 00:23:25,100 --> 00:23:28,233 So, we can already see an immediate difference 494 00:23:28,233 --> 00:23:29,666 between these two groups. 495 00:23:29,666 --> 00:23:31,666 So this one hasn't been exposed. 496 00:23:31,666 --> 00:23:35,133 This one has been exposed to the aerosolized particle 497 00:23:35,133 --> 00:23:36,333 for one hour. 498 00:23:36,333 --> 00:23:39,766 So can you tell which one is faster? 499 00:23:42,033 --> 00:23:44,566 Not all toxins found in nature 500 00:23:44,566 --> 00:23:46,433 are necessarily bad. 501 00:23:46,433 --> 00:23:48,866 One of Dr. John Berry's missions 502 00:23:48,866 --> 00:23:52,766 is to identify new compounds in harmful algal blooms 503 00:23:52,766 --> 00:23:56,500 that may actually be beneficial to humans. 504 00:23:56,500 --> 00:24:00,166 In one experiment, he tests toxins he extracted 505 00:24:00,166 --> 00:24:04,000 from cyanobacteria on cancer cells. 506 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:05,500 We pulled out compounds that people just, 507 00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:08,066 they're not on the radar yet, and that's the idea, 508 00:24:08,066 --> 00:24:11,633 is to get some of these new potential toxins on the radar 509 00:24:11,633 --> 00:24:13,100 so that we can start to understand 510 00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:14,700 if they're having an effect. 511 00:24:14,700 --> 00:24:16,966 They've been a real goldmine for people looking for 512 00:24:16,966 --> 00:24:19,666 biologically active natural products for drug leads, 513 00:24:19,666 --> 00:24:22,766 so, they're sort of these toxin slash drug producing 514 00:24:22,766 --> 00:24:27,466 little factories out there in nature. 515 00:24:27,466 --> 00:24:30,700 Florida has been hit hard 516 00:24:30,700 --> 00:24:33,733 with multiple algal blooms negatively impacting 517 00:24:33,733 --> 00:24:37,533 the environment, human health, and the economy. 518 00:24:37,533 --> 00:24:41,733 The length and severity of these blooms is getting worse. 519 00:24:41,733 --> 00:24:44,666 People living along Florida's biggest waterways 520 00:24:44,666 --> 00:24:49,166 are clamoring for help in putting an end to the blooms. 521 00:24:49,166 --> 00:24:50,633 There are a number of people 522 00:24:50,633 --> 00:24:51,966 who are starting to hypothesize 523 00:24:51,966 --> 00:24:53,866 that we've hit a tipping point, 524 00:24:53,866 --> 00:24:57,600 that the combination of climate change 525 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,000 and the patterns of rainfall and warmer waters 526 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,366 that we've gone through, 527 00:25:02,366 --> 00:25:04,733 combined with all the development 528 00:25:04,733 --> 00:25:06,333 and land use practices that we're doing 529 00:25:06,333 --> 00:25:08,833 around our coastlines and the nutrient pollution 530 00:25:08,833 --> 00:25:12,133 that we're putting into our waterways 531 00:25:12,133 --> 00:25:15,700 has put the systems into a very bad position, 532 00:25:15,700 --> 00:25:18,733 that they're irrevocably harmed, 533 00:25:18,733 --> 00:25:20,766 that we're not gonna get them back. 534 00:25:20,766 --> 00:25:22,633 I don't fundamentally believe that, 535 00:25:22,633 --> 00:25:27,066 I do believe if we can get a control on nutrient pollution 536 00:25:27,066 --> 00:25:29,700 nature will fix itself. 537 00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:34,333 Nature is very resilient, it just needs time to recover. 538 00:25:34,333 --> 00:25:37,466 If we keep on beating it and polluting it, 539 00:25:37,466 --> 00:25:39,066 it's never going to recover, and yes, 540 00:25:39,066 --> 00:25:44,066 we'll be living with this forever. 541 00:26:12,333 --> 00:26:14,900 Major funding for this program 542 00:26:14,900 --> 00:26:17,366 was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, 543 00:26:17,366 --> 00:26:20,266 encouraging people to preserve and protect 544 00:26:20,266 --> 00:26:23,566 America's underwater resources, 545 00:26:23,566 --> 00:26:28,566 and by the William J. & Tina Rosenberg Foundation, 546 00:26:29,466 --> 00:26:34,033 the Do Unto Others Trust, 547 00:26:34,033 --> 00:26:36,300 and by the following.