Posted on 06/11/2015 12:07:50 PM PDT by smokingfrog
COLLEGE STATION - Record rainfall totals in many parts of Texas the past few weeks means a record amount of freshwater pouring into the Gulf of Mexico – as high as 10 times the normal rate – and that could lead to huge problems for marine life and commercial fishermen very soon, warns a Texas A&M University oceanographer.
Steve DiMarco, professor of oceanography, says the huge rainfall amounts in the last month mean that such rivers as the Brazos, Trinity, Colorado and others currently are carrying record amounts of water flowing southward to the Gulf, similar to a situation that occurred in 2007 when rivers carried 10 to 20 times the normal seasonal rate of discharge into the Gulf.
“When this happens, the coastal waters become stratified, meaning that the lighter freshwater will stay at the surface and cap the saltier, and heavier, ocean water beneath,” he explains. “Because the salt water is isolated from the atmosphere, oxygen levels in that water will begin to drop.
“That is exactly what is going on right now and in the weeks to come, and when this happens, it almost always means many marine organisms, particularly those that live near and at the ocean bottom, can’t get enough oxygen and they can get sick and die.”
In a “dead zone,” technically called hypoxia, marine life for thousands of square miles become distressed and fish kills can occur. Dead zones have been happening in the Gulf for decades off the Texas-Louisiana coastline, but the record amounts of rain this year could mean a sort of dead zone within a dead zone, DiMarco says.
(Excerpt) Read more at kbtx.com ...
Actually, I might suggest that never before in history has there been such self-aggrandizing opportunities to restate, ad nausum, known natural phenomena in efforts to demonstrate how smart they are.
We call those opportunities - The Internet.
And those opportunities become grant funding opportunities.
Are there any Marine Corps bases on the Gulf in Texas? If not, why would this be a problem for Marine life?
At least not until BP blew a hole in the bottom.
-PJ
The Texas-Colorado river, not the one that goes through the Grand Canyon.
Will they be dead-dead or undead?
Exactly! It’s happened before and I’m sure it will happen again. The Gulf of Texas will be just fine.
It will be covered with dead fish!
The sky is falling! Again.
The meteor might have to wait it's turn.
You beat me to it!
Raising taxes should fix this problem.
Four reservoirs on the Brazos.
“...but the record amounts of rain this year could mean a sort of dead zone within a dead zone, DiMarco says.”
“They’re mostly dead.” - Miracle Max (Billy Crystal)
:) I'm good with that. Isla Florida. Could we secede to form an island nation?
LOL! Good catch. We can only hope the Colorado is flooding. They can certainly use it in Lake Mead.
Been there and have run thru it. With no wind, it really stinks.
Well looky here.
Two Colorado Rivers!
Thank you for the information.
RD
See post #36.......
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