 HARBOR BRANCH SCIENTIST SAYS AREA REEFS HEADED FOR POSSIBLE "ECOLOGICAL MELTDOWN" SIX-MONTH STUDY SHOWS PROBLEM OF INVASIVE ALGAE BLOOMS IS WORSE THAN ORIGINALLY THOUGHT FORT PIERCE, FLA., November 28, 2001 - A news conference will be held Thursday, Nov. 29th, at 9am at the dock at New Port Cove Marina, 255 E. 22nd Court in Riviera Beach, to announce the results of a comprehensive six-month study of invasive and harmful algal blooms appearing on reefs in the waters off Palm Beach County. HARBOR BRANCH research scientist Dr. Brian Lapointe, an expert on invasive species of algae who first recognized the problem in the early 90s, says "the study pretty conclusively" points to treated human sewage making its way into Florida's waterways and near-inshore coastal areas as the culprit. "I don't think it's too strong to say that we're headed for an ecological meltdown. The sewage runoff is raising the nutrient levels of our inshore waters, making an ideal habitat in which these invasive species of algae - notably Caulerpa brachypus, Caulerpa verticillata, and Caulerpa racemosa - can establish themselves and crowd out every thing else," Dr. Lapointe said. The result is large patches of reef, often hundreds of yards across, where nothing else grows. Fish that rely on the native marine plants disappear as well, and the affected areas begin to resemble an underwater desert, Dr. Lapointe said. State Senator Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, was instrumental in providing direction and support in obtaining the funds for Dr. Lapointe's study. Dr. Lapointe and several research assistants, including Dr. Peter Barile, Palm Beach resident Connie Gasque, and HARBOR BRANCH Public Relation's HARBOR BRANCH, made dozens of dives in seven areas along the coast from Deerfield Beach to Jupiter. Dives were made and samples of algae collected at depths ranging from 30-feet to 130-feet deep. Dr. Lapointe said he was looking for elevated levels "N\15", a stable nitrogen isotope that in the right proportions is associated with human sewage. Sample results showed the highest "N\15" values in Boca Raton and the lowest in Juno Beach. The values were also higher in the shallower samples, suggesting that the closer to land or a source of sewage runoff, such as an outfall pipe or an inlet, the higher the nutrients that lead to invasive algae growth. Dr. Lapointe said one shocking discovery was the presence of a particularly aggressive and damaging species of algae called "Caulerpa brachypus". "Before now, this was only seen in a few small patches in the Caribbean and is really a Pacific species of alga, and it shouldn't even be here," Dr. Lapointe said. "The fact that it is means the problem is worse than we anticipated." "The combination of an exotic species of alga that takes over the reefs, along with our belief that nutrient levels are rising as a result of pollution and other sources, means we'll be seeing more and more severe bloom events," Dr. Lapointe said. Dives made in the spring and again in August and September produced more evidence that Caulerpa and Codium algae patches have grown from only a few square meters near the Lake Worth inlet, to an area that is now more than six miles long, extending north toward the Jupiter Inlet. For more information please call HARBOR BRANCH at 772.465.2400. HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution, Inc., is one of the world's leading nonprofit oceanographic research organizations dedicated to exploration of the earth's oceans, estuaries and coastal regions for the benefit of mankind. |