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Date: Lack of Oxygen
Title: DCA
Date: 08 Sep 2005
Time: 23:45:12 -0400
For weeks the Gulf of Mexico has been still. No wind. No wave. The sun has been loading an immeasurable marine battery day after day. The prolonged calmness, coupled with the relentless summer heat (temps >95F), has hindered needed oxygen from fusing into the waters. The dissolved oxygen, that was in the water, has been depleted to a bottom concentration that can barely sustain life. Concentrations of two parts per million (2 ppm) are marginal or stressful to fish. Last week oxygen readings were taken from 20-55 feet due west of the Steinhatchee River. The readings were < 1ppm on the bottom. That explains the fish kill. They need to breath like we due. Dr. Paul Carlson said he hated to say it but we needed a hurricane to put oxygen back in the water. Wind and wave action on the Gulf would pump oxygen from the air into the water. He didn’t know it at the time but we’re getting more than needed. Katrina is marching through the open Gulf toward our Cajun friends in Louisiana; a category five hurricane packing winds of 175 mph. It is feeding off that stored energy the sun has forced in the Gulf in the previous weeks. The energy is being released in a violent way. Katrina is in the same class as Andrew, expending as much energy every second as several Hiroshima type atomic bombs. If you knew atomic bombs were coming at you, would you evacuate? Let’s pray everyone does the prudent thing and leaves. Scallops have been plentiful. During low tides, folks are disappointed that the limit of two gallons per person came so fast. The best area has been north of the river mouth.