tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31244269973149606962024-03-18T14:22:42.908-07:00James' Blog100% Science, 100% Windsurfing, 100% What-have-youJames Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.comBlogger757125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-50457223650523153872024-03-17T11:46:00.000-07:002024-03-18T14:22:10.963-07:00Apocalyptic year for Florida Keys getting more apocalyptic<a href="https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/researchers-assess-florida-keys-coral-health-following-marine-heat-wave">This has been a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad year for Florida Keys ecosystems</a>. This is remarkable not because Florida Keys ecosystems were doing fine until now, but because I honestly didn't think they could get much worse than they already were. Significant declines in Florida Keys reefs started in the 1970s, with pollution, diseases, and extreme weather events knocking out one coral species after another. First, most of the Staghorn and Elkhorn corals, which were essential to the habitat structure of the reefs, died out to white-band disease and other diseases. Then the brain corals, star corals, maze and pillar corals started dying out to other diseases and man-made stresses. By the 2000s the average coverage of live coral on the reef had gone down from over 50% to less than 10%. In 2014, a new coral disease called <a href="https://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/stony_coral_tissue_loss_disease/">"stony coral rapid tissue loss disease" (SCTLD)</a> spread from a dredging project near the Port of Miami into the keys, wiping out the survivors of the other diseases and bringing live coral coverage down to less than 5%. <a href="https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/14/1739/2017/bg-14-1739-2017.pdf">Recent geological surveys show that the entire sea bottom structure of the keys has changed</a>. With no living corals to build up reef rock and offset erosion, the once-tall reef structures have been crumbling into flat fields of rubble and sand.
<br /><br />
In 2023, a major <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o%E2%80%93Southern_Oscillation">El Niño</a> on top of many decades of increasing global temperatures due to climate change brought the worst-ever marine heatwave to the Florida Keys. The water temperature exceeded 30 Celsius (the bleaching threshold where corals get stressed and start losing their symbiotic algae), earlier than ever, and reached temperatures higher than ever seen before in the Florida Keys. The killer temperatures lasted until October, which created an enormous "cumulative stress" on the corals (See picture). Even hardy, resilient species like sea fans, fire corals, and finger corals bleached and died, their flesh sloughing off their skeletons like meat from bones in an overcooked stew.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXh4YroySAMH3m9-YbQ11Zt2xMEJOekenwEIkUgG9uuar2kDXBmdMPPfLsZq5o_81zs5CUWU4dhB3_jWwW9fy8EAQgzJwzSeHu1BCl44FD79MltHG6zu_vXy2W2HsSgNSvgx98CKTdPIK_1J-xmIuqb66iBbVFtjT7qyqblhKRrkz5IGCssrLSYoGnA8/s1600/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20205214.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="756" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXh4YroySAMH3m9-YbQ11Zt2xMEJOekenwEIkUgG9uuar2kDXBmdMPPfLsZq5o_81zs5CUWU4dhB3_jWwW9fy8EAQgzJwzSeHu1BCl44FD79MltHG6zu_vXy2W2HsSgNSvgx98CKTdPIK_1J-xmIuqb66iBbVFtjT7qyqblhKRrkz5IGCssrLSYoGnA8/s1600/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20205214.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
When I took my FGCU Marine Ecology class snorkeling there in October we saw a surreal scene of devastation. Dead but still-standing sea fans were covered in fuzzy algal turf. The few corals still alive were bleached to snow white, fluorescent pink, or yellow (see album). <br /><br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="652" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjames.douglass.144%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0TLQh814CCGobqCZ2Z8ufVvkkfSzfuUoiWobAXwdeoTThQjsKP96bSEnuq4BScqeAl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe>
<br /><br />
The one part of the reef ecosystem that still seemed to be OK then was the fish. Even though the corals were dead and dying, the reef fish were still abundant in the no-fishing zones where we snorkeled. Sadly, in November 2023, not long after my class snorkeling trip, the fish in the keys also began to suffer. It was a mysterious ailment dubbed "<a href="https://www.wlrn.org/environment/2024-03-01/scientists-continue-search-whats-poisoning-florida-keys-fish">spinning disease</a>," that caused them to swim in an erratic, disoriented manner. It started happening to all sorts of fish species, from tiny pinfish to huge sharks and rays. The afflicted fish often die. This is particularly disturbing because it's affecting critically endangered species like the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/smalltooth-sawfish">smalltooth sawfish</a>. There are thought to be only a few hundred sawfish left in Florida, and more than 20 have already been found dead from this in the keys.
<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Falexander.c.howard%2Fvideos%2F256148267562071%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>
<br /><br />
Naturally, people want to know what's causing the spinning disease, so just about every marine biologist and environmental management organization in Florida is trying to figure it out. People have tested for <a href="https://myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/">red tide</a> (turns out it's not that), common pollutants like nutrients, pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals (none of those seem to be much higher than normal), and diseases and parasites (none that we can find so far). Some people have speculated that recent water releases from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries caused it, but it couldn't have been that because: a) the spinning disease started months before the water releases and b) the water release areas are hundreds of kilometers north of the keys. That's not to say that pollution hasn't caused or contributed to this, though. <a href="https://www.flkeysnews.com/news/local/article276128836.html">The Florida Keys have been having problems for years with chronic and recurring sewage leaks and spills</a>, including a broken pipe detected in October 2023 that leaked 106,533 gallons of sewage near the epicenter of the spinning disease on Big Pine Key. The info below on the spill is from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's <a href="https://floridadep.gov/pollutionnotice">Public Notice of Pollution website</a>, which also has information on thousands of other spills throughout the state.
<br /><br />
<i>Incident Location: (<a href="https://prodenv.dep.state.fl.us:443/DepPNP/reports/viewMapDirectLink?point=yes&incidentDetailKey=21589">link</a>)<br />
Incident Description: During a verification inspection of the low pressure system force mains, the mechanics determined that the low pressure grinder system (LPS) force main was not passing a pressure test. Upon further investigation, staff discovered that the 1 1/4" HDPE force main had been augured through by a contractor while installing a fence post on private property. The force main was repaired, a portion of the fill was excavated and replaced and the area was cleaned up, washed down and lime was applied. Repair is complete and yard is restored.<br />
Wastewater Type: Untreated<br />
Cause: Contractor<br />
Spill Volume: 106,533<br />
Volume Recovered: 25<br />
Waterbodies Impacted: N<br />
Clean-up Status: Complete<br />
Clean-up Actions: Vacuumed/pump truck, Applied lime, Washed down area, Raked and disposed of debris<br />
Agencies Notified: Gary Hardie FDEP, State Watch Office</i>
<br /><br />
The continuing influence of sewage leaks and spills on marine water quality in the Florida Keys is indicated by elevated levels of an artificial sweetener called sucralose detected in recent FDEP monitoring. There's no natural source of sucralose, so if you're finding it in the water that means that there are wastewater inputs nearby, or that wastewater was spilled in the past and hasn't fully dispersed.
<br /><br />
The other link to man-made pollution is the freakishly hot weather, which is signficantly hotter than normal due to the global problem of <a href="https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/">carbon dioxide pollution</a> increasing the atmospheric greenhouse effect. In addition to contributing to hotter temperatures via the greenhouse effect, the elevated level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere lead to higher levels of carbonic acid in seawater, lowering its pH. This phenomenon is called "<a href="https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-acidification">ocean acidification</a>" and has already made the ocean 25% more acidic, on average, than it was 150 years ago. Experiments show that hotter temperatures, more acidic waters, and higher nutrient pollution levels all stress corals individually, and that their combined effects are even worse, hence the post-apocalyptic state that Florida reefs are in now.
<br /><br />
Anyway, back to the spinning disease. My FGCU colleague <a href="https://www.fgcu.edu/thewaterschool/centers/vestermarine/mikeparsons/">Dr. Michael Parsons</a>, who specializes in studying harmful blooms of microscopic marine algae, has strong suspicions that it's linked to a type of single-celled dinoflagellate algae called <i>Gambierdiscus</i>. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzFP9AaqdhsIGd9Z0jhh8lB57AqK-Nh2BFwXjThde7wq1R-JcEUwPYwpigPP7ekknzCaqquof3eNey8ah9t3LbeCK1GUqYSUgGFpCxwk43tG8u3fYZRNI31GdRsBq733hNpud208yDVB6r8VivzT63rZ6pndYQGLx88v-YzyDFShgo-kWGUCQXF3RX5Y/s3014/20240315_150347.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="1907" data-original-width="3014" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzFP9AaqdhsIGd9Z0jhh8lB57AqK-Nh2BFwXjThde7wq1R-JcEUwPYwpigPP7ekknzCaqquof3eNey8ah9t3LbeCK1GUqYSUgGFpCxwk43tG8u3fYZRNI31GdRsBq733hNpud208yDVB6r8VivzT63rZ6pndYQGLx88v-YzyDFShgo-kWGUCQXF3RX5Y/s600/20240315_150347.jpg"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuK0MIeTpkwm7oXhyzUCbyBB_2_GYnVgKQqL1JGA5dJu2286r_m9iW2ABZtbPtgPWfdLPEVNsjZ2zVNNuF8kbQzCMTZTynxrsLcWETJWxGCW6e6pIr-yIRp6WvqyZe1WAjFt9CnsW6x6JGvyzEFy21GFgXRUqbMLvokUXcoyIHosl89nhs1xNZG4z5G0/s965/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20144109.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="965" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuK0MIeTpkwm7oXhyzUCbyBB_2_GYnVgKQqL1JGA5dJu2286r_m9iW2ABZtbPtgPWfdLPEVNsjZ2zVNNuF8kbQzCMTZTynxrsLcWETJWxGCW6e6pIr-yIRp6WvqyZe1WAjFt9CnsW6x6JGvyzEFy21GFgXRUqbMLvokUXcoyIHosl89nhs1xNZG4z5G0/s600/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20144109.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
Unlike the <i>Karenia brevis</i> dinoflagellate algae that causes red tide, <i>Gambierdiscus</i> is benthic. Benthic means mostly found on the bottom, growing as an "epiphyte" on seagrass, seaweed, rock, etc. It attaches kind of loosely, though, so if there's a lot on the bottom you'll also find some in water samples. During this spinning disease event, Dr. Parsons has been finding <i>Gambierdiscus</i> at levels 10 to 50 times higher than ever seen before in the keys. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/14/7/485#"><i>Gambierdiscus</i> makes multiple types of neurotoxic chemicals that can harm other marine life, as well as people who eat contaminated seafood</a>. The best-known toxin that <i>Gambierdiscus</i> makes is "ciguatoxin," which accumulates in the marine food chain from small algae-eaters to big predator fish, and can then be passed on to people who eat the fish and develop a serious illness called "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciguatera_fish_poisoning">ciguatera</a>." The weird thing in this case, though, is that Dr. Parsons and the other harmful algae researchers working in the keys have not been finding much ciguatoxin in these <i>Gambierdiscus</i> or in the affected fish, and there haven't been any reports of people in the keys getting ciguatera from eating the fish. (I still wouldn't recommend eating any seafood from the keys now, though.) With ciguatoxin, you'd also expect it to affect just the species in the food chain that were getting exposed via their diet, and the spinning disease seems to be affecting all species of fish- bottom feeders, plant eaters, predators, planktivores, etc. That is leading Parsons and other to suspect that the spinning disease is caused by one of the OTHER toxins that <i>Gambierdiscus</i> makes- maitotoxin.
<br /><br />
Maitotoxin is the one of the deadliest biologically-produced toxins known to science. Unlike ciguatoxin, maitotoxin is water-soluble, so fish can be directly exposed through the water rather than through their diet. The maitotoxin hypothesis is consistent with observations by fishermen in the keys that spinning fish often recover back to normal after 17-25 minutes in a tank with water from an unaffected area. Parsons suggests that rescue tanks could be set up to put some of the most endangered species of fish in to recover, but you'd need a pretty big tank for a 5 meter (16 foot) long smalltooth sawfish. Because the maitoxin molecule is huge and complicated, you need sophisticated equipment to detect and measure it, and not many labs in Florida are capable of doing that. <a href="https://www.disl.edu/who-we-are/arobertson/">Dr. Allison Robertson at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabam</a>a is able to do it, though, and she HAS detected maitotoxin in the recent samples Parsons has sent her from the keys. So far we just know that maitotoxin is present in the affected area- not how much there is. Parsons and Robertson are working on more quantitiative analysis now, comparing the concentration of maitotoxin in the spinning-disease area with its concentration in unaffected control areas. If the incidience of spinning disease closely corresponds with the concentration of maitotoxinin the water, and the concentration of maitotoxin in the water closely corresponds with the abundance of <i>Gambierdiscus</i> on the seafloor, that would be strong circumstantial evidence for the maitotoxin theory, which could be confirmed by experimental tests.
<br /><br />
If it is maitotoxin produced by <i>Gambierdiscus</i> that is causing this, that will lead to more questions, such as "What's going on in the environment that's causing there to be so much <i>Gambierdiscus</i> and maitotoxin?" and "What can we do to stop it?" As for what's causing the <i>Gambierdiscus</i> increase, we already have a rough hypothesis based on what has been seen with <i>Gambierdiscus</i> in other parts of the world: It increases after man-made and natural disasters that damage reefs. Something about a degraded reef ecosystem seems to create ideal conditions for toxic <i>Gambierdiscus</i>. Maybe it's disruption of the normal microbial and grazer community that keeps <i>Gambierdiscus</i> in balance. Maybe it's increased availability of nutrients, seaweeds, and dead coral skeletons to grow on. Maybe it's all of the above. While we're waiting for more complete answers and the next phases of research, I have some suggestions:
<br /><br />
1. Don't eat seafood from the Florida Keys until this is over, unless you're trying to do neurotoxicity experiments on yourself. <br />
2. Get SERIOUS about keeping nutrient pollution out of South Florida waters-<br />
<span> </span>a. Support wastewater treatment system upgrades, maintenance, and monitoring.<br />
<span> </span>b. Tell the FDEP to bring the hammer down on those responsible for sewage leaks and spills. <br />
<span> </span>c. Fertilizer also contributes to nutrient pollution, so stricter fertilizer regulations for the keys could help. If I was king of the keys I'd ban fertilizer year-round with no exceptions for golf courses.<br />
<span> </span>d. Lobby the state and the feds to complete the everglades restoration projects they've been working on for decades that are supposed to improve the quality of the water passing through the Everglades to the keys. <br />
3. Stop denying that climate change and ocean acidification are happening and start doing your part to reduce carbon dioxide pollution. <br />James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-55947340195528916112023-05-19T14:36:00.001-07:002023-05-19T14:38:02.407-07:00Southwest Florida Environmental PSA VideosAlthough I'm a marine biologist whose primary research interest is the saltwater environment, I'm a big fan of nature in general, and that includes freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. One of the reasons I care about these land and freshwater environments is because they are incredibly important in the processing of water flow and pollution as it makes its way from the land into the ocean. If the terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems get messed up, the ocean gets messed up, too. That means murky water, algal blooms, and death for all the seagrasses, corals, manatees, sharks etc. that I love, not to mention despoiling of the waters I like to windsurf and paddle on. So I take it very personally when I see dumb things being done on land that I know are going to harm the ocean. A new thing I am trying this summer to help save the environment is filming short public service announcement videos about various Southwest Florida environmental things. I hope they can help increase folks' knowledge and appreciation of our local environment and get them to start doing things differently in ways that will benefit the environment and themselves. I'm posting my first batch of videos here.
<br /><br />
Some of the PSAs are simple profiles of particular species of interest:<br />
<iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="V9AU3_ITQIk" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V9AU3_ITQIk"></iframe><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="lOFijSnzotM" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lOFijSnzotM"></iframe><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="4h8CIsPcjw0" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4h8CIsPcjw0"></iframe><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="EugrIlJpdxw" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EugrIlJpdxw"></iframe><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="g-8IMbnCORM" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g-8IMbnCORM"></iframe>
<br /><br />
Others address ecological concepts and managment ideas:<br />
<iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="yGvqhQqbcj4" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yGvqhQqbcj4"></iframe><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="dl4ww0s-qgY" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dl4ww0s-qgY"></iframe><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="W17b1HMGd2c" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W17b1HMGd2c"></iframe><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="v84bOwsdAX0" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v84bOwsdAX0"></iframe>
<br /><br />
Some are linked to the hot issue of herbicide spraying around lakes and ponds; something I can't stand:<br />
<iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="l8YzdVbslVM" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l8YzdVbslVM"></iframe><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="S5cV8fLVH4c" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S5cV8fLVH4c"></iframe>
James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-74455603253670840052022-12-30T13:59:00.004-08:002022-12-30T16:33:52.518-08:00Thoughts on SWFL economy and moving from house to an apartment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fHg8yrPmXNioQx-JrKKNyGgX4hgvfHmAvTMQ5F45Ro4PWilnVROwZlpjD7fJJevLsmIRSdPEbHc__EYrhPUFLySe9vWGRRuiN4dQr56FRSZbL5GDtfPEvPgISFWBWnOeEgPXeA0_tV83p_JfsuRiuHr8qbTX4GEDlvow9VuRWXx_pka4Iq1i_bZH/s1529/movemap.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="1529" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fHg8yrPmXNioQx-JrKKNyGgX4hgvfHmAvTMQ5F45Ro4PWilnVROwZlpjD7fJJevLsmIRSdPEbHc__EYrhPUFLySe9vWGRRuiN4dQr56FRSZbL5GDtfPEvPgISFWBWnOeEgPXeA0_tV83p_JfsuRiuHr8qbTX4GEDlvow9VuRWXx_pka4Iq1i_bZH/s600/movemap.jpg" width="600" /></a>
<br /><br />
One of the indirect consequences of Hurricane Ian was that it motivated my landlord to sell the house in Bonita Springs that my spouse Rhonda and I had been renting and living in since 2012.
<br /><br />
Initial rent for the house was reasonable, and it went up just 16% from 2012-2022, which was less than the 29.7% cumulative rate of inflation in the US from 2012-2022 (<a href="https://www.usinflationcalculator.com">https://www.usinflationcalculator.com</a>). So we were actually getting a little better deal on rent in 2022 than in 2012. Of course that assumes that university faculty salaries in Florida kept up with inflation over that time period, which they didn't quite do, but since I got promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in 2018 we were alright.
<br /><br />
Unfortunately, the less-than-inflation rate of rent increase that we experienced from 2012-2022 was extremely atypical for the area. Every other place in SW Florida was experiencing insanely high rent inflation, like 300% from 2012-2022. I.e., a small house like ours could rent for $2850 (or more) now. This was probably another part of our landlord's motivation to sell.
<br /><br />
The first wave of sticker shock hit me when we started searching for a new place and realized the single family homes for rent were all some combination of: A) way too expensive, B) way too far away, and C) not available. So I was like, "Dang, I guess we have to switch down to an apartment." The second wave of sticker shock was realizing that even the single bedroom apartments in our area were a lot more expensive per month than the house had been. So I was like, "Holy moly, I have to pay way more per month AND give up the longboard windsurf and paddleboards that I built my outdoor recreation, exercise, and social routine around for 10 years? YUCK!" The sacrifices Rhonda would be making would be of similar order, including giving up space for visiting family, arts and crafts supplies, writer's library, home office space, etc.
<br /><br />
One ray of hope and consolation was the prospect of moving closer to work and reducing my commute to bike-able distance. That was a tough thing, though, since near the FGCU campus you have to pay at least as much for a 1 bedroom apartment as you would pay for a 2 bedroom apartment with a 30 minute commute. There were some fraught negotiation surrounding the size vs. distance tradeoff, amid the stressful labor and expense of filling out endless electronic forms for multiple apartment applications. In the end the smaller but closer apartment won out, and we signed the lease.
<br /><br />
Moving was accomplished with a rented Penske truck between the 12th and 15th of December, and the two dogs and two humans that comprise our family unit have now been fully transplanted to the apartment, at "</a><a href="https://www.longitude81.com/">Longitude81</a>" behind <a href="https://hertzarena.com/">Hertz Arena</a>, where the <a href="https://www.floridaeverblades.com/">Everblades</a> play hockey. The watersports gear I didn't sell is convalescing at friends' houses- the 14' Riviera paddleboard in my old neighborhood, and the 14' Fanatic paddleboard and 11'8 Exocet Windsup in a colleague's backyard storage unit. I've so far made one trip back to the old neighborhood to paddle the Riviera, and one trip to Bunche Beach in Fort Myers to windsurf with the shortboard that now lives permanently in my minivan. So it looks like I will preserve my watersports hobbies in some form, but to get enough exercise I'm also going to have to jog and use the little gym room at the apartment complex.
<br /><br />
One thing that's on my list to do is figure out exactly what watersports I can do at the lake on the FGCU campus, and when I can do them without getting hassled by the campus cops. Around two years ago I was getting a pretty good routine going of hydrofoil windsurfing on the FGCU lake, but then a campus police officer told me I could only do it when the lifeguards were on station at the lakefront, which I think rules out the after-work sessions I was getting. BEGIN BEACH ACCESS RANT: Beach and lake access in SW Florida was getting really difficult even before the storm. We've got miles of near-empty private beaches for rich people to look at from their mansions or condos, but not nearly enough public beach parking to accommodate inland residents and tourists. The post-hurricane closures of almost all the beaches in Lee County and North Collier County, combined with pathogenic bacteria, red tide fish kills, etc. has made the beach access situation even worse, of course. My partial solution would be to condemn the destroyed beachfront lots and let them be public parking areas but that would be anethema to the pro-developer anti-public ethos of area leaders.
<br /><br />
Ok, how do I wrap this up? I'm moving forward with all the optimism I can muster, but struggling with the demoralizing effects of current circumstances. I'm getting more politically charged against the rich-take-all, screw-the-environment, damn-the-poor economic trend that seems to have taken hold of the world, and particularly this peninsular state, as its effects are becoming more and more invasive in my life and the lives of my colleagues, friends, and neighbors. That anger is tempered somewhat by reminding myself that living more simply and eliminating my car commute is a good thing for the planet that I probably should have done anyway, and I still have the really important essentials like safe shelter and a beloved partner to share it with. James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-81151676143844024462022-11-12T10:32:00.004-08:002022-12-14T07:29:11.365-08:00Post-Hurricane downsizing stuff for sale, from windsurfs to lawnmowerUPDATE: Got rid of everything except the 9.5 Ezzy sail, mast, and boom. <br /><br />
One of the consequences of Hurricane Ian, which is something that was going to happen eventually anyway, is that my landlord decided to sell the house we rent. We have to leave before 31 Jan 2023. Because prices in the area have more than doubled since we moved down in 2012 I can no longer afford to rent a house within a sane commuting distance from Florida Gulf Coast University and I will have to rent an apartment. Therefore I need to sell lots of things that I can't use or have no room to store in an apartment. Please contact me if you want to buy any of these things. I'm not going to ship any of them, so you'll need to come fetch them from Bonita Springs.
<br /><br />
Generac GP6500 Generator- $600 obo. We got it new for $950 after the hurricane and it has barely been used. I'll throw in a high voltage extension cord and a couple gas cans for free. If you're a Floridian who lives in a house you should have one of these. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMF0my7kV6yKRuC8265BPcilp5nAtmZMM_QibGOQanHrUvmCMboBpDDHyS4xjS_jdonP5R-oTf2ozVYo7caQgj4-iTebNcC6LX3jTK3CLwV_edhbPtqnzOGGKoWhCsZPPgig-UtkBg8YPAGdt388kSQkWVmS0QTzSR_E5gMzs3-jqUwW3V2rK5i4z/s1600/generac.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMF0my7kV6yKRuC8265BPcilp5nAtmZMM_QibGOQanHrUvmCMboBpDDHyS4xjS_jdonP5R-oTf2ozVYo7caQgj4-iTebNcC6LX3jTK3CLwV_edhbPtqnzOGGKoWhCsZPPgig-UtkBg8YPAGdt388kSQkWVmS0QTzSR_E5gMzs3-jqUwW3V2rK5i4z/s600/generac.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
Hisense Dehumidifiers (2), medium sized- $100. Two nice dehumidifiers only used for couple weeks after the hurricane. They were $175 new. Good for keeping humidity low to kill mold, dust mites, etc.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsGedIxTLLM5f3dEYdzipF4X8OFmSaYdG1XRn6Qd__14gHGKzIiGwxDCBwz8Je5iyEcPUBor6TsWZzT-zwYyVYgJXW8iZL1WiOoebHOxejN4DCFYAMcHzI9GyyPfx5rvlN6VJZtUKUhlcSMTGQq4ebt9PDHSzQQLF_9YrWbSX5ER_1QG8OEmHo2le/s1600/small%20dehumidifier.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsGedIxTLLM5f3dEYdzipF4X8OFmSaYdG1XRn6Qd__14gHGKzIiGwxDCBwz8Je5iyEcPUBor6TsWZzT-zwYyVYgJXW8iZL1WiOoebHOxejN4DCFYAMcHzI9GyyPfx5rvlN6VJZtUKUhlcSMTGQq4ebt9PDHSzQQLF_9YrWbSX5ER_1QG8OEmHo2le/s600/small%20dehumidifier.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
Hisense Dehumidifier (1), large sized- $150. Nice, powerful dehumidifier with a indicator that tells you the relative humidity in your house, only used for a couple weeks after the hurricane. Was $240 new. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfibll02JoAGGFgojMNlAk5cpfi2t_UyKWpxWYRH2J0pJzsSERzdOhWfu7zltDTvXudBLtZSJJPN3aViy9IlUOraXh1hQpTVX0yA9delQp1B0vyBVu1r0Iafssed2lqbp1L4UbPP_cgpfegfMHheL6ewxdNvQe8hw5uyFj1nxdR3Jev5jk-cMI8DL/s1600/big%20dehumidifier.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfibll02JoAGGFgojMNlAk5cpfi2t_UyKWpxWYRH2J0pJzsSERzdOhWfu7zltDTvXudBLtZSJJPN3aViy9IlUOraXh1hQpTVX0yA9delQp1B0vyBVu1r0Iafssed2lqbp1L4UbPP_cgpfegfMHheL6ewxdNvQe8hw5uyFj1nxdR3Jev5jk-cMI8DL/s600/big%20dehumidifier.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
Kenmore Gas Grill- $120 obo. Convenient outdoor grill with 3 adjustable burners, side trays, propane tank with propane in it, etc. Has a canvas cover but there's a small rip in the cover. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkU7u9uQN3ysVKBQUf60AqPJMZ5bOmFI_7OMeU89KT7fZh7QkuqJrWHk8jhj523nscmTRHnN0FyfFtHnfXYm0p83xK-O2tORE1gm4cTWMZKDBRE0HNLCKVrKzjFshxiwexC4Rq6vju4kG7bJzAN9XfgSrCZK4Se97T46HtEE1Qwi9lusV7TnD0NdAg/s1600/grill.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkU7u9uQN3ysVKBQUf60AqPJMZ5bOmFI_7OMeU89KT7fZh7QkuqJrWHk8jhj523nscmTRHnN0FyfFtHnfXYm0p83xK-O2tORE1gm4cTWMZKDBRE0HNLCKVrKzjFshxiwexC4Rq6vju4kG7bJzAN9XfgSrCZK4Se97T46HtEE1Qwi9lusV7TnD0NdAg/s600/grill.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
Nelo 560 Surfski Kayak with Braca IV 705 carbon fiber paddle and normal and weedless rudders- $1000. This is a very fast elite ocean racing kayak for an experienced paddler or someone willing to put in the time to develop the balance for it. It's 18'4" long. The paddle was a two-piece adjustable but it's now stuck in the 0 degrees feather 210 cm extension position I always used it in. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvJ-kSmrntdQCf7KjV2THGLdjubS-AWzdSWbwPgqzIR4k2UQWzMQJfqZka0VABOlbAGPiEHxrz114sOQDdrPT2gIte7z9B1uXunX5t4J2s-A-RPdXAtvBE_xnGiXZtG6GBlkE44wzZRt34CfkZbr_tVgAredVZT24kTiknelLa2Fdnzi7j8rAZK2G/s1181/thumbnail_20200802_163033.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvJ-kSmrntdQCf7KjV2THGLdjubS-AWzdSWbwPgqzIR4k2UQWzMQJfqZka0VABOlbAGPiEHxrz114sOQDdrPT2gIte7z9B1uXunX5t4J2s-A-RPdXAtvBE_xnGiXZtG6GBlkE44wzZRt34CfkZbr_tVgAredVZT24kTiknelLa2Fdnzi7j8rAZK2G/s600/thumbnail_20200802_163033.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
Formula / foil windsurfing board and 70 cm fin- $200 obo. Exocet Turbo Formula II formula windsurfing board with fin, footstraps, and reinforced finbox so you can put a hydrofoil on it. (I am not selling the foil; just the board and a standard 70 cm fin.) Board is 155 liters, 100 cm wide x 230 cm long. Has some patches and stuff but it's still very light and watertight. Perfect for getting into foiling, or just regular light wind shortboard windsurfing. Foils are expensive, but the board doesn't have to be. <br />
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Plkfp37-UA4/V98uvrKmvJI/AAAAAAAAArg/RctN3jS96G0diVMtZubCD8JQOjqTkxM0QCPcB/s640/newoldboardagain.jpg" width="640" height="480" />
<br /><br />
Ezzy Cheetah 9.5 msq windsurfing sail with Sailworks carbon SDM mast, Neil Pryde Carbon Fiber formula boom, adjustable outhaul, chinook aluminum SDM base extension- $600. This is a good packaged deal because normally the sail or carbon boom alone would cost way more than this. If you want to buy just some of the individual components let me know and we can figure out a price. Here's a link to the Ezzy sail- https://www.ezzy.com/2012-sails/ezzy-cheetah/ <br />
<br /><br />
Gaastra Nitro V 11.0 msq windsurfing sail with 550 cm carbon fiber mast. FREE. This huge sail is kind of a white elephant now that formula windsurf racing has died, but maybe someone would still want it to play with, or recut as a foil racing sail or something. <br />
<img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/arcanedarts/110.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 110.jpg"/>
<br /><br />
Yard Machines gas powered lawnmower- $60. It's a lawnmower. It works. It doesn't have the bag attachment anymore so it's only good as a mulching mower (leaves the clippings on the grass). I'll throw in a small gas can with it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pGHXDsyZGc3GfKUESWwMRSjL19J_Ujo2vyk-36Mp7jEoqtBdAli2QH8ZP29U3r6HrHgBG_8R6MVxiwAesXSZHXeCW8NtXUr256syNa9HM4eRCCUGa8y9yvsjsN6JK1OVmjrxxANmb3pf2WMXxggp_rRZrN8Q3dVaE0hcK1x8j00LPpBF8RFJLAVc/s1600/mower.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pGHXDsyZGc3GfKUESWwMRSjL19J_Ujo2vyk-36Mp7jEoqtBdAli2QH8ZP29U3r6HrHgBG_8R6MVxiwAesXSZHXeCW8NtXUr256syNa9HM4eRCCUGa8y9yvsjsN6JK1OVmjrxxANmb3pf2WMXxggp_rRZrN8Q3dVaE0hcK1x8j00LPpBF8RFJLAVc/s600/mower.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
HDX shop fan- Free. It's a little rusty from living in our lanai for years but it's a powerful fan that works. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbGLOOpoffYqI-cdjRz9miqGA6PM8gBXUmO23Tm3xsH0wlXY4lTbdZEQtwFoIvXc0YVL1jsf1jZkQMflVZMcr1LYAUgeVsQ_x2xiuCzZAO2IAU6Igj1qbSMOdF_anO4YkUTThWh_0aSSnczbPRt8dNfWm64KdxPmvaV0lxKzDbC6rtfoxKoYu3TRA/s1600/fan.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbGLOOpoffYqI-cdjRz9miqGA6PM8gBXUmO23Tm3xsH0wlXY4lTbdZEQtwFoIvXc0YVL1jsf1jZkQMflVZMcr1LYAUgeVsQ_x2xiuCzZAO2IAU6Igj1qbSMOdF_anO4YkUTThWh_0aSSnczbPRt8dNfWm64KdxPmvaV0lxKzDbC6rtfoxKoYu3TRA/s600/fan.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
RIGID Shopvac, Medium sized, 5.0 peak HP- $50. I bought this for sucking up the drywall dust when I had to take the wet drywall out of the house we rent. Works great and includes an add-on muffler and some other extra attachments that we bought for it beyond just what it comes with from HomeDepot. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxe7asRu8vAR3YudaD0NC75RnpNeICrjspoCsAaDXqQ3Z-520x__t30dCas7H1QaxzYK5DggkVfnTOSJSXT4XsWsPXzMEj6X0aJPpt6S9QPYimRbB8E5_jgjBOdSTeDFjbMcw2kMxto2JMaDaip7cMkAYbgZHu37CsgIDNsYdVIfJq1IJ0onBD8FP/s1600/shopvac.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxe7asRu8vAR3YudaD0NC75RnpNeICrjspoCsAaDXqQ3Z-520x__t30dCas7H1QaxzYK5DggkVfnTOSJSXT4XsWsPXzMEj6X0aJPpt6S9QPYimRbB8E5_jgjBOdSTeDFjbMcw2kMxto2JMaDaip7cMkAYbgZHu37CsgIDNsYdVIfJq1IJ0onBD8FP/s600/shopvac.jpg"/></a></div>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-71374503399600529862022-10-19T12:16:00.001-07:002022-10-19T12:16:20.312-07:00Hurricane Ian research cruise log: effects on Gulf of MexicoAlbum of photos to accompany this post: <br />
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjames.douglass.144%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02mHYf5Ku64sZEPqeavAhJv585QgSuUu37KojCqfXzNTMSV9bFMKQWKiTWdyQTpTaPl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="607" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe>
I am currently aboard the Florida Institute of Oceanography's research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico off SW Florida. I'm with a team of eight scientists including: Dr. Eric Milbrandt the director of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, Florida Gulf Coast University Vester Marine Station research and education coordinator Adam Catasus, FGCU graduate students Robert "Marlin" Smith and Matthew "Cole" Tillman, dive safety officer Calli Johnson, FGCU undergraduate students Gavin Costello, Susannah Cogburn. Also among the passengers on this boat are Wink News (local CBS network) reporter Elizabeth Viro and cameraman Renzo Soriano, plus captains Brian Davis and Hayden Wiley, engineers Grady Smith and Heather Meneses, and most importantly Jordan Adams the chef. <br /><br />
We are doing the un-glamorous job of assessing impacts of Hurricane Ian, and Hurricane-delivered pollution, on water quality and sea bottom life on the "SW Florida shelf" which is the broad expanse of relatively shallow bottom off of the SW Coast of the Florida Peninsula. The cruise began yesterday at FIO headquarters in St. Petersburg. We steamed out of Tampa Bay in the morning and headed south, sampling every "pass" along the way. A pass is an inlet connecting the Gulf of Mexico to inland waters like bays and estuaries. Pollution from the hurricane is likely to be concentrated around the passes as all the gunk dislodged from land pulses out to sea with river discharge and ebbing tides. <br /><br />
The waters were (relatively) clear outside Tampa Bay; we could see the "CTD Rosette" (heavy contraption of water collection bottles and electronic instruments) for two meters or so as we winched it down into the water. Not far south of Tampa Bay, however, we hit browner water, part of the "plume" of discharge from the worst affected parts of Florida we were approaching. In addition to those visual cues, we have tons of instruments running that tell us fairly precisely what the stuff is discoloring the water. We're also taking a huge number of different types of water samples to analyze for pollutants of all sorts, plus nutrients (which may be considered a pollutant), plankton, sediments from the bottom, etc. It's fun with the whole team scrambling to get the heavy instruments deployed and all the samples retrieved and properly filtered, packaged, and stored before the next station. Doing it 4 or 5 times would be a full day. Doing it the approximately 50 times we need to do it is definitely a week's work, and then some. <br /><br />
While the seas were gentle just offshore of Tampa, conditions have deteriorated with the arrival of a cold front's strong, North winds. The worst of it was in the wee hours last night. This heavy, 78' boat is seaworthy, but it was really rocking. Kudos for Dr. Milbrandt for filtering samples and assisting on the wave-washed deck all night. I only made it until 11 pm before fatigue and creeping seasickness sent me down to the security of my bunk in the belly of the boat. The fresh morning air (and a seasickness pill) perked me up in the morning to begin today's shift. In the morning we crossed throught worst storm-affected areas of Sanibel Island and Fort Myers, where we saw a lot of debris floating in the water as well as the discoloration of the hurricane runoff, further stirred up by the night's big swells from the NW. <br /><br />
One encouraging sight, near shore off Naples, was that the buoy my lab group placed to mark out scuba research site is still there. It was tied around a natural bridge in the limestone seafloor. Impressive that it held up through the giant waves of the hurricane. Looking at the levels of murk in the water, and feeling the chilly 63 degree Fahrenheit breeze, is subtracting a bit from my enthusiasm about scuba diving tomorrow at our sites further off Naples. I know I'm with a good team of safe divers, though, so we should be able to get down there safely and get our area surveyed even if visibility is less than 1 meter.
James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-15165384688309908032022-10-16T13:39:00.006-07:002022-10-19T11:06:24.006-07:00Hurricane Ian personal storyHello friends, family, and windsurfing- and science-curious strangers who happen upon my blog. I'd like to take a moment to tell the story of my personal struggles with big, nasty Hurricane Ian, which ravaged SW Florida even more so than <a href="http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2017/10/belated-hurricane-irma-story.html">Hurricane Irma of 2017</a>. I'll tell the story in phases.<br /><br />
Phase 0: Before the Hurricane.<br />
Prior to Ian, 2022 was going pretty well for Rhonda, myself, and our French bulldogs Petunia and Violet. I was busy with my job as a marine biologist at Florida Gulf Coast University- teaching classes, advising graduate students, and doing some fun research using scuba diving to study the effects of coastal pollution on underwater habitats offshore of Lee and Collier Counties. Rhonda was busy writing a new speculative fiction novel and working part-time as a store clerk at the HomeGoods down the street. We were looking forward to Rhonda's sister and nephew visiting. <br /><br />
Phase 1: Weather Watching<br />
Up until September, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Atlantic_hurricane_season">2022 Western Atlantic Hurricane Season</a> had been pretty dull. But it got spicy quick, with Hurricane Fiona becoming a big baddie that walloped Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and even Nova Scotia. Hurricane Ian then took the stage, moving west through the Caribbean as a tropical storm then strengthening and turning north, with the western tip of Cuba and the Gulf Coast of Florida "in the cone." The early forecasts had it hitting somewhere north and west of us; Tampa Bay looked imperiled, but the Fort Myers / Naples area not so much. I cancelled my lab's plans to do scuba diving research, though, because the Gulf would be too rough and our crew would need to be making hurricane preparations at the university's Vester Marine Field Station. Rhonda had to cancel her sister's plan to visit. I got increasingly nervous while looking at iWindsurf.com forecast models which showed our coast getting a sustained beating from the onshore winds on the south side of Ian's counter-clockwise rotation. This was a scenario I'd also worried about when weather-watching Hurricane Irma- A storm offshore in the gulf can be more dangerous than one passing directly overhead, because of the way the onshore wind field can build a massive surge. Irma had caused major storm surge in the Florida Keys, but because it then then came due north over land it caused "only" wind damage and rainfall flooding in SW Florida. Ian, with a potential approach from the Gulf, looked like it could deliver the surge that Irma had only threatened. By Sunday the 25th some of the models and warnings coming out the National Hurricane Center were making it look really scary for us, fleshing out that storm surge from the gulf scenario. The NHC has a model now that can show a high-resolution, color-coded map of areas that may be inundated. The house we rent in Bonita Springs is only about 2 meters above mean sea level, and its near the tidally-influenced Imperial River; a water highway that can would conduct storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico, through Estero Bay, into my living room. So naturally it was flooding in those models, and each time I checked, like between teaching classes on Monday, it looked worse. <br /><br />
Phase 2: Evacuation<br />
Work/school was cancelled for Tuesday the 27th, and a mandatory evactuation was ordered for low lying parts of Lee County that morning. In retrospect, the evacuation order should probably have come earlier. This is something that has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/14/lee-county-hurricane-ian-evacuation-timeline/">become a major controversy</a> in the hurricane's aftermath since so many people ended up dying in the storm who might have evacuated had the order come earlier. As it was, Rhonda and I had to scramble to make our evacuation plans, picking which of our friends or family outside of the hurricane's path we would choose to burden with ourselves and our not-quite-potty-trained dogs for who knows how long. Ultimately we decided that Valerie Dinsdale, our long time family friend who knows lives in Palm Beach Gardens in East Central Florida, was who we would crash with. We actually kind of dallied around our house on Tuesday morning the 27th, figuring we'd drive over later in the day and wanting to enjoy our coffee and not unplug our computers and stuff right away. In retrospect we should have dropped everything and frantically moved all precious things to the highest shelves and stuff. By the time we did get ourselves, our dogs, our dog beds, dog crates, dog pee pads, dog food, dog leashes, dog medicines, and other important things we didn't want to lose in a flood like our birth certificates and social security cards, loaded into the car, it was 6 pm or so and already raining hard. On the drive across the state we took back roads and avoided traffic, but the weather was hellacious, with our phones buzzing every five minutes with more emergency warnings of tornados, flooding, etc. etc. <br /><br />
Phase 3: At Valerie's<br />
Despite getting drenched bringing stuff in from the car at Valerie's house, and struggling to get the dogs properly quarantined in her laundry room, we felt a lot of relief to be out of harms way. Valerie never lost power, so the next day we had a front-row tv and computer seat to the tragedy and destruction unfolding on the west coast of the state. I got intermitent text reports from my neighbor who had stayed home, and they were not encouraging. "Everything is floading." "We are evacuating." And later, "There is a tree on your house." You've surely seen the news reports so you know: it was BAD. As predicted the storm surge reached our house, and it was more than a foot deep around the outside based on the line left on the wall. We were anxious to return to see the damage and attend to the house, but we knew we couldn't go right away because we wouldn't have a safe place to keep the dogs air conditioned and cool. (Because of their brachycephalic heads and constricted air passages, bulldogs can't keep themselves cool in hot weather and they easily die of heatstroke. Rhonda and I still feel terrible about her English Bulldog <a href="https://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2012/07/so-long-little-buddy.html">Buri</a> who died that way on the the 4th of July 2012. We think the Buri-spirit supported our decision to hang out with Valerie for a few more days.) <br /><br />
Phase 4: Coming home, sort of<br />
I honestly don't even remember what exact day we left Valerie's, but it was a shit day. We had found an animal hospital open less than an hour from our house in the town of Labelle, so our plan was to drop the pups off there, then clean the house up and retrieve the dogs from boarding once we had power. The plan was derailed because it turned out that the "animal hospital" in Labelle was a squalid nightmare based out of an old schoolbus and damp, falling-down trailer, which reeked of mold and feces and of course had no power. So after a tense marital discussion we determined that we would travel to our home for just a few hours, keeping the dogs in the shade or in the air conditioning of the car, then Rhonda would return with them to Valerie's and I would stay in the house to do whatever I could to salvage things and make it habitable. Arriving at the house we could clearly see the black smudge of the high water line on the outside, and it was more than a foot up, pretty discouraging. Inside it was nasty and wet, but our forensic work indicated that the water inside had only reached about 10 cm / 3 inches deep. 10 cm was enough to ruin any water-absorbent thing on or low to floor. So that was all the upholstered furniture and the lower shelf of the bookshelves and filing cabinets, but thankfully not the bed, the futon, or the dressers that were on legs. The stench inside was a horrendous mix of rehydrated dog pee, sewage, leaf litter, mildering clothing, and wet drywall and insulation. We hurriedly mopped up the standing water in the low spots of the floor and started moving ruined things out to the curb, then moving possibly saveable things to the covered lanai area. Rhonda and the dogs left and I spent my first night sweating with windows open and no covers on atop the bed surrounded by an epic mess. The next day or so was all about moving stuff out, boxing up dry things that there were no longer shelves for (got a million giant tupperware things from the hardware store), jury rigging a window unit AC and dehumidifier on a generator with help from my work buddy Serge and Rhonda's cousin Mike. Concurrently I was in frantic negotiations with the landlord to see what to do about the wet drywall, which becomes an epic mold problem if not removed soon. I got the go-ahead to remove it, and got some tips from my paddle buddy Matt Kearney on how to do so. One of the worst things was just drawing the line around the entire house at exactly 26" high, which is tricky when you're moving things which have no place to go, crawling around like a mole inside closets, etc. I forgot to wear a mask the first day of drywall removal so I'll probably die of asbestosis, but I wore a mask after that. The one good part of those hell days of all work and no electricity was meeting and bonding with a bunch of my neighbors that I hadn't really known before. As messed up as my house was, I was actually among the lucky ones, since a lot of folks closer to the River or bay had head-high water in their homes and lost everything inside. Worst of all, of course, were the folks who lived near the open coast whose entire houses were knocked down and swept away. It does make one question the wisdom of rebuidling in some of the lowest, most coastal areas. I'd like to see folks find ways to turn those areas mostly into public parks and beaches.<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjames.douglass.144%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0325PZq79HDEJCknnQufMjnMyQAuDHpiawiNRxqzrbNzo4ghPNLYFsUrivf6VTRadml&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="675" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe>
Phase 5: The lingering nightmare<br />
One horrifying discovery when removing the drywall, along with the spiders, roaches, piles of lizard eggs, pine straw rat middens, and actual TOAD under the sink, was that an addition to the house had tons of pre-existing rot in the walls from where the roofs of the new and old part of the house weren't mated right and water got in. You know the rot is bad when you can actually vacuum up boards like wet coffee grounds with the shopvac. It's like, if I ever wondered why my rent was cheaper than average, now I knew. The horror of the mildew and stuff abated once everything was dried and out and vacuumed out and bleached and carted to the mountain of house guts on the curb (matching the mountains of house guts all down the street, and in every adjoining neighborhood, for miles and miles), and the power came on and Rhonda and the dogs were able to come back. But it's still unsettling living in this frankenhouse where the dogs can run freely from any room into any other and we don't know if the landlord is ever going to fix it and wonder if we could afford a different place. My pay has gone up about 10% since I moved here in 2012, but the average rent in town is like 2 or 3 times higher than it was. Cherished luxuries I've enjoyed, like having a shed for windsurfing boards and water within walking distance to go paddleboarding in, are things I maybe shouldn't have taken for granted. Although I'm not sure the "water nearby" thing is the unqualified perk that it initially appeared, especially with the sea level rising and stuff. <br /> <br />
Phase 6: Life goes on, and science<br />
October 10th was my first day back at work at FGCU, with a full schedule of classes and all the usual stuff, plus a lot of hurricane talk and catching up. I had 276 unread emails on the first day- yikes! One of the important things in those unread emails was that my scientific collaborators on our EPA-funded SW Florida shelf research project had arranged an alternate strategy for getting our October sampling done despite our marine research station being trashed. That alternate way is a 7-10 day cruise onboard the Florida Institute of Oceanography's boat, the R.V. Hogarth. We leave from St. Petersburg Tuesday. I should have internet so I'll try to do some posts of our scientific findings. We'll also have a reporter and cameraman onboard from SW Florida's Wink News. We expect to find a lot of murky, polluted water, and possibly some nasty knock-on effects of all the pollution and rotting material that has been injected into the Gulf; effects like algal blooms and oxygen depletion smothering sea bottom life. James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-80979767152312757842022-04-11T09:35:00.004-07:002022-04-11T09:35:58.437-07:00Shot with plastic pellets- Stop TikTok's "Orbeez Challenge"I was walking across my yard the other evening to get my SUP board from the shed when some random jerks drove by and sprayed me with an automatic plastic pellet gun. I'm not injured, but it was very upsetting and it left marks. I filed a report with the cops (physically harming someone against their will is battery), but since I didn't get the license plate of the car the guys probably won't get caught.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrLGQX7pqEY_mP4ANEXgZqy2TqZluLT4ZTIaUsujrut1yrXSP0SVWASp6j_l7nxpbyDgHH_cJtnEHruq16fqdLH_xC0HrkjtY4O-mJ62BAyqj4rcRmHEW-CNWckHSqV6uvJXpmac-LTrwmOjJr1mly4C_bFTYweKSyPRC7Mr-uR1HGK2O-mo-4eYp/s2016/278006859_10102541260685087_7215967771869718145_n.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrLGQX7pqEY_mP4ANEXgZqy2TqZluLT4ZTIaUsujrut1yrXSP0SVWASp6j_l7nxpbyDgHH_cJtnEHruq16fqdLH_xC0HrkjtY4O-mJ62BAyqj4rcRmHEW-CNWckHSqV6uvJXpmac-LTrwmOjJr1mly4C_bFTYweKSyPRC7Mr-uR1HGK2O-mo-4eYp/s600/278006859_10102541260685087_7215967771869718145_n.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
I've since learned that this is part of the <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/orbeez-challenge?lang=en">TikTok "orbeeze challenge"</a> to shoot strangers with pellets, film their distress, and derive sadistic pleasure and internet fame from making the video go viral. Of course this is happening on TikTok, the same shitty company that helped disseminate the "slap your teacher challenge" and the "eat laundry detergent pods" challenge. Apparently TikTok sees no moral problem with making money hosting videos of these dangerous and illegal things, rather than taking them offline and lifetime-banning and reporting the posters as they ought to.
<br /><br />
I described my experience on social media, and it has been encouraging to see the near unanimous response that this is NOT an ok thing for people to do. I hope that will be translated to cracking down on it effectively.
<br /><br />
Extending this to a general "hot take" on "what's wrong with the world these days?" I see this as a sign of a culture that has increasingly accepted the gross exploitation of its own people by companies and individuals as normal, maybe because of an obsession with money and fame at any cost. We need to nip this in the bud ASAP, both at the small scale level of individuals who do the dumb things, and at the large scale of the companies that enable and profit off it.
James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-8570261585587380322022-02-06T10:35:00.006-08:002022-02-06T10:44:40.429-08:00Good wavesailing session<p> Hi blog readers. Although I don't post about watersports as much as I used to, I still do watersports. Windsurfing is still my favorite, despite the challenge of matching good wind, public beach parking, and time off work here in SW Florida. It all came together in late January, though, with a big cold front bringing NW winds and a good swell to Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples. Day one of the wind started with a dramatic switch from a warm southerly gale to strong, cool west winds; a switch accompanied by an unprecedented destructive outbreak of tornados in Lee County. I waited until the tornados were finished to go to the beach, and enjoyed some rocking conditions on my small 4.7 m squared sail and 83 liter "sinker" board. The next day was the really great one, though, with pretty strong wind from the NW and well-organized waves of about 10 seconds period. (That means there was some space between the waves, which helps for turning around, getting up to speed, etc.) I used my 5.7 Goya Banzai sail, and 106 liter Exocet Cross, with a 26 cm MUFin wave fin. I really feel comfortable on that gear and it's one of my favorite things to sail. I didn't do any super fancy things like trying flips or duck jibes, but I had some fun wave rides and little jumps. Here's the video:</p>
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T5SW5EZKx-k" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-17522087430109478022022-01-05T12:01:00.001-08:002022-02-06T10:22:46.673-08:00Context dependence, nuance, multiple contributing factors, and indirect effects<p>Anytime I look at what's going around on social media or popular media I end up cringing at the sort of black and white oversimplification of reality that it seems like 99% of us are guilty of 99% of the time. We always want yes or no answers, and good or bad classifications. However, in the real world the answer is usually "it's complicated," and good or bad is a matter of context and degree. </p><p>Scoundrels seem to have become adept at using oversimplification to hide complicated, damning truths. Scoundrels are versatile, though. They are also adept at hiding simple truths by obfuscating with complexity. </p><p>Be careful out there. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS0ts1sauUGzEs5_f_EEbX7-73_93qSBidymOLEKPfs_IMOIrvYWVoSUlgnGu_RH2nvmfdySh79gyO7gAB3MZSw8H5CNeE-0T59nbCV5XFKEHKAlNvdjMaeTpUPQggpSUvudkBoSwBe26hMl4X_KSMkJUbCu9-o-QVPvwSoSc8TX-K1Sf35RxriYUn=s960" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS0ts1sauUGzEs5_f_EEbX7-73_93qSBidymOLEKPfs_IMOIrvYWVoSUlgnGu_RH2nvmfdySh79gyO7gAB3MZSw8H5CNeE-0T59nbCV5XFKEHKAlNvdjMaeTpUPQggpSUvudkBoSwBe26hMl4X_KSMkJUbCu9-o-QVPvwSoSc8TX-K1Sf35RxriYUn=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alternate version of the slide:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEha2jhrJU2xfj0gHEjgWsOAfRs9ZegMyAP6GobeETqno6Bdl0hj-2Szgbibr6YPtaruMx8OocYyGkJz-LK7y8FnZEYUOmdZ1qz4tQYYhmq76AnkCgYJCjtreSiwS3aOSYBrdW1Whit0_-ZKs6P8UjypmKUz2P1ULuwwCwA_aKJoop4DOHijGWQWarHv=s960" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEha2jhrJU2xfj0gHEjgWsOAfRs9ZegMyAP6GobeETqno6Bdl0hj-2Szgbibr6YPtaruMx8OocYyGkJz-LK7y8FnZEYUOmdZ1qz4tQYYhmq76AnkCgYJCjtreSiwS3aOSYBrdW1Whit0_-ZKs6P8UjypmKUz2P1ULuwwCwA_aKJoop4DOHijGWQWarHv=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-29042371587185920932021-12-25T06:59:00.000-08:002021-12-25T06:59:22.229-08:00Merry Christmas 2021<p> Whew, it has been a real busy last 8 months or so of life. Lots of exciting but stressful work, spiced up with some unexpected challenges, anxiety about the coronavirus pandemic, environmental disasters, etc. Nevertheless I have a lot to be thankful for. Number one is my wife Rhonda, seen here where we're celebrating Christmas at her family's home in New Hampshire. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_yXRra_cw6XjY0y_ebQ8QuriiAGoPLgxy20uYUHoAz8SIt2sHlFxOcBX_uVxINx28JHrxGSwbEZPC27_BSgDmk8pHxpDDMEFjNMVWr12uOX6N83CI-39AU2XbxqN0Z9CUId7L_EWtsqckG4gff6NkA-7rEdygQxsnexbeYKgFYqoTOlDH9UqT8C2-=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1200" height="639" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_yXRra_cw6XjY0y_ebQ8QuriiAGoPLgxy20uYUHoAz8SIt2sHlFxOcBX_uVxINx28JHrxGSwbEZPC27_BSgDmk8pHxpDDMEFjNMVWr12uOX6N83CI-39AU2XbxqN0Z9CUId7L_EWtsqckG4gff6NkA-7rEdygQxsnexbeYKgFYqoTOlDH9UqT8C2-=w640-h639" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm also thankful for our new dogs- little french bulldog rescues Violet and Petunia who are a lot of work but super loving. Here Petunia is in one of her favorite spots, sitting in my lab while I play computer games. Those EYES! <3 </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmE-Xg-zeD4_xei9nbMbSrZu9WtYhKJ_sKiAVO446bwcRHmthdOVx11zAG0p99tyTdTylYXLBTZcxJJr4aS3PfPK7y1QDoxepIwIA-ea-ioKGRiSqixQkbWFLOrj5g0Znb3Ph3M1wIbADlX-9MbtR8BHFdG7fRVPti7901JEJ5PLideU__s2I8oze8=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmE-Xg-zeD4_xei9nbMbSrZu9WtYhKJ_sKiAVO446bwcRHmthdOVx11zAG0p99tyTdTylYXLBTZcxJJr4aS3PfPK7y1QDoxepIwIA-ea-ioKGRiSqixQkbWFLOrj5g0Znb3Ph3M1wIbADlX-9MbtR8BHFdG7fRVPti7901JEJ5PLideU__s2I8oze8=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>And here's one with the whole gang together. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizFuei5NLtDO-pJ_CYEn32rZ9gOXxRQQ6ufGtBfcfAf5THbRmy5RbTERr5wV4jBSfeiF9ayW87O5MrIhhIRiYZJ72sc6ezZiTy9BJ4FUZVfo9MkVE3qn9_xrFnKAwJ4EpM4yCFoTUKrk1Ee931TD5E3xiyThVP0ScVn0xhCtgu5ql9eMzFQvuQoJPf=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizFuei5NLtDO-pJ_CYEn32rZ9gOXxRQQ6ufGtBfcfAf5THbRmy5RbTERr5wV4jBSfeiF9ayW87O5MrIhhIRiYZJ72sc6ezZiTy9BJ4FUZVfo9MkVE3qn9_xrFnKAwJ4EpM4yCFoTUKrk1Ee931TD5E3xiyThVP0ScVn0xhCtgu5ql9eMzFQvuQoJPf=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-21683605930725765072021-09-15T06:31:00.003-07:002021-09-15T06:31:22.378-07:00Foolishness vs. Fear Graph<p> I'm not sure if I saw something like this before or thought it up from scratch, but I made the figure myself. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c5rDTaGVJVA/YUH1Y87nsOI/AAAAAAAADtw/FRCacmXpJ9Uq8ytm-d9BpaeLHtNqQuhjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/foolishness%2Bmeme%2Bgraph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c5rDTaGVJVA/YUH1Y87nsOI/AAAAAAAADtw/FRCacmXpJ9Uq8ytm-d9BpaeLHtNqQuhjwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/foolishness%2Bmeme%2Bgraph.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-49732833384175368912021-04-11T10:14:00.005-07:002021-04-11T10:18:39.639-07:00Fanatic Skysup WS edition foiling video and reviewOn Friday I had a good windsurfing session on my newish hydrofoil windsurfing board, the <a href="https://www.fanatic.com/sup/composite-boards/foil/sky-sup-foil-ws">Fanatic Sky Sup Foil WS</a>. I filmed it with a GoPro camera mounted to the end of the boom. I was using a 4.7 sail, and the foil was a Slingshot Infinity 76 in the "B" configuration, set as far back in the finboxes as possible. The wind was around 15 knots from the SW.
<br />
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZCiFqRxl-R4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
I'm really liking this board now, although it was a major adjustment from the first board that I started foiling on; an older Exocet formula board. The Sky Sup is meant for maneuver-oriented sailing (as opposed to speed-oriented sailing), and is also meant to be useable without the sail for SUP foiling or with an inflatable wing for "wingfoiling." It's very short; 210 cm, and the mast track is placed very close to the front footstraps. The footstraps are near the centerline of the board rather than out near the edge like on a formula board. These aspects of the shape and the placement of the fittings required me to radically change my stance, sail position, and body weight distribution from what I'd gotten used to. The sail must be held with the mast straight up, or or even raked towards the nose a bit, rather than raked back towards the tail as it would be when sailing fast on a board with normal geometry. Controlling the altitude of flight is done more with direct foot pressure and less by applying weight to the mast base. Because of the sail rake angle you need to set the boom lower and/or use longer than normal harness lines if you want to hook in. You can actually sail it without a harness, though, since the forces in the sail are so much less than on a non-foiling windsurfer.
<br /><br />
I've used the board with sails from 4.2 to 6.8 meters squared. It handles the 6.8 adequately, but the sweet spot is with smaller sails. Compared to the formula board, the Sky Sup is more particular about having the right sized sail for the wind. On the formula board you have some more leverage to keep the sail sheeted in and the elevation controlled when the sail is overpowered, whereas on the sky sup you just have to sheet way out. When underpowered on the formula board you can still get it foiling with some "stir" pumping of the sail that applies lateral pressure to the vertical part of the foil and translates into forward speed that allows liftoff. But that doesn't work as well on the sky sup, where pumping becomes more about "porpoising" the horizontal parts of the foil. As I learn to pump the sky sup better the liftoff threshold may end up being about the same as on the formula board, but for really gusty conditions I think the formula board may still be a more forgiving foil platform.
<br /><br />
The most annoying thing about this new board versus my formula board is that they don't use the same "finbox" system for attaching the foil to the board. The sky sup uses a "pedestal" mount with four bolts that go into two parallel mast tracks and allow fore-aft adjustment of the foil position. The formula board uses a traditional, fixed-position "deep tuttle box" mount with two bolts that go down through the deck of the board. Further complicating things, the foil itself has different configurations placing the vertical attachment more forward or back on the fuselage, and I need it in "C" position for the formula board but "B" position for the sky sup. The whole change-over takes half an hour or so of sitting in the driveway unbolting and rebolting things, re-greasing the bolts, etc., so I kind of have to commit to whether I'm going to be using just the sky sup for a while or just the formula board for a while. I think what I'll do is use the sky sup in our "windy season," with 6.8 sail being the max and waiting for 10+ knots before attempting to use it, and I'll switch over the formula board around June when we get into the light summer winds where I need my 8.0 or 9.5 more often.
James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-89315666188363978902021-04-11T08:07:00.005-07:002021-04-11T08:07:36.087-07:00Surfski kayak downwind paddling sessionYesterday I got some video of paddling in the ocean on my Nelo 560 surfski kayak, with a GoPro camera mounted near the stern of the kayak. The mount should be a bit higher to get a better perspective, and my stroke technique needs a lot of work, but overall I'm pretty happy with how the video turned out. Also the session was a lot of fun. :)
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fnw4AHs4czs" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-1462706659929329062020-12-13T12:37:00.005-08:002020-12-13T12:38:34.271-08:00Should people be scared of the political left? <p><span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">t seems like a lot of my fellow
Americans, especially those who lean right in their political ideology, are
terrified of SOCIALISM (or whatever they think socialism is) above almost all
else. Some are convinced that we're on the verge of plunging into a dismal and
oppressive communist dystopia like Stalin's Russia, and that even the most
benign liberal policies like funding public schools or healthcare are pushing
us down that slippery slope to the gulag. Others don’t go quite that far but
are nevertheless convinced that any restraints on big business and the wealthy,
or mercy for the sick and the poor, will lead to moral decay and economic
collapse. Only ruthless, unfettered capitalism can prevent corrupt lazy losers
from taking over and turning us into the next Venezuela, right? SIGH. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">It's a testament to the power of
propaganda that the GOP has been able to stoke this inordinate terror of the
left at the very same time that their own party is engaged in alarming attacks
on American democracy itself. I won’t get into all the details of the right’s
voter suppression, gerrymandering, purging truth-tellers and protecting liars
within government, pushing conspiracy theories about a “stolen” election, encouraging
armed insurrection, etc. Let it suffice to say that under Trump, the GOP have come
perilously close to achieving an "autocratic transition" - a switch from
democracy to dictatorship. Yet, most conservative people still see Trump as a
savior and not a threat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Indeed, it’s ironic that these
70ish million conservative Americans; folks who are earnestly patriotic and
scared of losing democratic freedoms, have empowered an authoritarian strongman
who closely resembles the freedom-stealing autocrats they revile; the power-mad
charlatans who’ve led their countries into dysfunction, disgrace, and worse. Trump’s
macho image, his appeals to the grievances of “the common man,” his fiery
demagoguery, his scapegoating of foreigners and minorities, his constant lying,
his efforts to control the press and suppress the vote, his ostentatious wealth
and trophy wives, his nepotism, and even his bizarre hair and style, all PERFECLY
fit the mold of a dictator. Cuba’s Castro, Venezuela’s Chavez, North Korea’s
Kim, Libya’s Gaddafi, Russia’s Stalin, and even Nazi Germany’s Hitler are cut
from the same cloth as Trump. How is this not obvious to those under his spell?
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I think the failure of so many to
see the obvious has to do with how we have confounded the left-right spectrum
with other types of societal variation. (In this context, “confound” means to
mix something up with something else; to fail to recognize them as distinct
things, like thinking that “hot” and “spicy” are the same thing.) Some other
dimensions of societal variation that can get wrongly lumped-in with the
right-left spectrum include autocracy-democracy, corruption-integrity, wealth-poverty,
and dysfunctionality-functionality. All those things greatly affect the quality
of society, and they can vary *independently* of the left-right spectrum. For
example you can have a left-leaning society that is autocratic, dysfunctional,
and poor, like Venezuela or North Korea, but you can also have a left-leaning society
that is democratic, functional, and wealthy, like Norway or New Zealand. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Anyway, when we develop a
blinding commitment to a right- or left-wing idealogy, many of the real
complexities of the world collapse into an oversimplified, “right is always good,
left is always bad” kind of thing. Our tendency to latch onto certain
simplified views is a natural response to living in a scarily complicated and
often hurtful world. For example, it’s totally understandable that someone who
grew up under a left-wing dictator like Castro would associate socialism with
corruption, oppression, and poverty, and would be generally averse to the
political left. And of course, American politicians on the political right are
in no hurry to disabuse Cuban Americans of those negative associations. Unscrupulous
people love to take advantage of our oversimplifying tendency. They get us all
emotionally riled up about something that genuinely concerns us, but then they hitch
our fervor onto a dubious agenda that serves only them. Regardless of whether
we’re tricked into the oversimplifying or we do it to ourselves, our
confounding of left-right and right-wrong leads to all sorts of trouble,
including:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span>1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Failing to recognize and address problems
like corruption and incompetence when they’re coming from our own side of the
left-right spectrum.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span>2.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Reflexively rejecting anything and everything
we associate with the other side of the spectrum, even if it might be
beneficial. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span>3.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Uncritically accepting lousy people and
policies just because they’re under the banner of right or left that we’ve
pledged to. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span>4.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Thinking, “if right is good, further right
must be better,” leading to extremism. (Or the same thing but with left.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span>5.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Believing lies or baseless conspiracy
theories about the other side because they fit in with our feelings and ideologies.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The way to get out of this “confounding”
problem might be to increase awareness of all those other, important societal
gradations besides just right-left. I think it would be especially helpful to
recognize integrity-corruption and democracy-autocracy as important societal
variables separate from the right-left axis. Autocracy and corruption are not
endemic to left-wing societies. They can absolutely afflict right-wing
societies, too, as folks now suffering from oppression in Turkey, or Saudi
Arabia would attest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> There’s a kind of X-Y plot called the “political
compass,” which has an up-down axis as well as a left-right axis, and which is
accompanied by a quiz that places you in one of the four quadrants based on
your personal views. <a href="https://www.politicalcompass.org/about">https://www.politicalcompass.org/about</a>
On that, typical, political compass, the up-down axis is designated as “liberty-authority,”
and it helps distinguish libertarians from classic conservatives, democratic
socialists from authoritarian socialists, etc. That helps a little with the “confounding”
problem that I’m talking about, but it’s not quite what I’m looking for. I
think it would be more useful to make the up-down axis be more clearly a
good-bad axis, with something like “functional democracy” at the top and “corrupt
dictatorship” at the bottom. Then you could put different countries that we’re
familiar with in the different quadrants to better illustrate that both right
and left can fall into corrupt dictatorships. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Rough draft diagram-</span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeyCKdEcZOo/X9Z7CJzrg5I/AAAAAAAADmQ/bYT-cq_sO5Y37vh4nUVlvrV4_5_praTogCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/political%2Bcompass.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="960" height="392" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeyCKdEcZOo/X9Z7CJzrg5I/AAAAAAAADmQ/bYT-cq_sO5Y37vh4nUVlvrV4_5_praTogCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h392/political%2Bcompass.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p>
<span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;">Final thought: I’ve said that many important
aspects of societies, such as integrity-corruption and democracy-autocracy, are
independent of the left-right spectrum. An implication of that is that we do not
need to be inordinately afraid of moving right or left, as long as we’re
watching out for those other aspects of how society can go good or bad. However,
I do think there is some danger of going to the EXTREMES of right or left because
an extreme philosophy is more likely to get blinded to the other nuances. </span></p>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-67108803110841873242020-11-14T13:03:00.003-08:002020-11-14T13:20:36.930-08:00Windsurfing edge of TS Eta, Lovers Key, FLMost of my windsurfing lately has been on the hydrofoil since we haven't had enough wind or waves to justify getting the traditional shortboard gear out. That changed a few days ago though, when Tropical Storm Eta brought some BIG wind from the south, and big swells. The Gulf of Mexico looked really ugly at most of the potential launches. However, by launching at Dog Beach on Lovers Key, and sailing out through New Pass (an tidal inlet protected by two sandbars) I was able to get into the waves without dealing with any shorebreak or sketchy longshore currents. I used a 4.2 sail and a 106 liter Exocet Cross. It was easy to get out on that, but I was over-powered and over-boarded in a way that made it tough for me to carve on the waves. So no major tricks or anything that I can brag about. I still managed to get some video that shows the condtions.
<br />
<iframe style="background-image:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WB6ZQL7jwDM/hqdefault.jpg)" width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WB6ZQL7jwDM" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<br /><br />
<iframe height='405' width='590' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/activities/4325120968/embed/1a881a88f4930557546e37c736d3bca305d39845'></iframe>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-702366972753014702020-09-26T08:48:00.002-07:002020-09-26T08:49:05.522-07:00Sloppy stars surfski kayaking practice in the oceanI have a new-to-me surfski kayak that is fast but quite tippy in rough water. It's a Nelo 560.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_ulJubEZEU/X29hK8Zsp-I/AAAAAAAADi4/VSDQig0aVB42x86NciehJ4J78Kyd_6FZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1181/thumbnail_20200802_163033.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S_ulJubEZEU/X29hK8Zsp-I/AAAAAAAADi4/VSDQig0aVB42x86NciehJ4J78Kyd_6FZACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/thumbnail_20200802_163033.jpg"/></a></div>
<br /><br />
To improve my rough water balance and comfort level for the October 3rd Key West Classic race, I've been deliberately paddling in the ocean at odd angles to the wind and waves. (It's not THAT hard to go straight upwind or straight downwind, perpendicular the bumps, but getting the waves from the side and at oblique angles is quite tricky.) I've sometimes done a workout like this as "sloppy squares," drawing boxes with my path, but I changed it up this week with what I'm calling "sloppy stars." I program the workout in my Speedcoach GPS as 10x800m with no rest between the segments, and then I just have to estimate what angle to go at and remember to always turn left at the end of each segment to make the star pattern. I'm pleased with how this turned out.
<br /><br />
<iframe height='405' width='590' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/activities/4114759867/embed/5d234f717df952e7bae603826087b14ba8cc8ac5'></iframe>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-27775503267368819562020-09-07T10:35:00.004-07:002020-09-07T10:35:45.212-07:00COVID-19: What is our endgame?It’s very hard for a group to accomplish an objective if the objective hasn’t been made clear. I think lack of clarity about objectives explains some of the United States’ ongoing struggles to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Dealing with a pandemic is a group effort that requires widespread understanding and agreement about the end goal. This helps us align our expectations with reality and carry out our individual responsibilities effectively. <div><br /></div><div>In this blog post I will try to articulate as clearly as possible what I think our COVID-19 objectives are, or should be. As of this writing it’s too late for 190,000 Americans whose lives have already been lost to the deadly disease, but millions more lives still depend on our actions now. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Objectives- </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>1. </b>Our primary objective should be to <b>minimize loss of life</b>. Life is the most precious thing we have, and dying before one’s time is a tragedy worth going to great lengths to prevent. Good medical care can improve survival chances among the infected by a modest amount, but <b>preventing infections</b> in the first place is by far the most effective way to reduce mortality. We have straightforward and effective means of preventing infections through <b>hygienic measure</b>s, which include social distancing, personal protective equipment, testing, and contact tracing. At some point we will probably have an additional means to prevent infections- vaccines, but the infection prevention strategy can be very effective <i>even while we lack a vaccine</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is important to note, because there is a widespread misconception that without a cure or vaccine, hygienic measures are only “delaying the inevitable.” I.e., there is a misconception that eventual infection of the entire population is unavoidable. It IS avoidable, though, and this would be obvious if we just remembered some of the basic math of <b>epidemiology</b>; the well-established science of how diseases spread through populations. In epidemiology, R0 is the average number of new people than an infected person spreads the infection to before he or she either dies or recovers. If R0 is more than 1, then the number of infected people in the population increases, eventually including nearly everybody. But <b>if R0 is less than 1, the prevalence of the disease in the population dwindles, eventually to zero, and most people are never touched by the infection at all</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Just as a fire deprived of access to new fuel will burn itself down to nothing, a disease deprived of access to new victims will also fizzle to nothing. This is the goal, and it has already been achieved by countries like New Zealand, which now need only remain vigilant for smoldering embers and sparks from abroad. </div><div><br /></div><div>How long it takes for the disease to fizzle out depends on how low we can get the R0. If the number is only slightly less than 1 then the disease still burns for a long time, but if the number is near zero the disease is rapidly extinguished and society can get back to normal promptly. There's more information on the basic math of epidemiology here- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b>2.</b> Our secondary objective is to <b>minimize suffering</b>. Sickness and the death of loved ones inflict great suffering, so our most effective measures to prevent infections (see objective #1) are also our most effective measures to minimize suffering. </div><div><br /></div><div>While sickness and death are the greatest causes of suffering in a pandemic, our measures to prevent infection may inflict suffering, as well. I.e., there are significant social, emotional, and economic costs to our hygienic measures. This creates a difficult situation, because in a pandemic that is being managed effectively, where hygienic measures are enforced and infections and deaths are kept low, all citizens suffer from the prevention measures while relatively few experience the actual sickness and death. Thus the cure is perceived as worse than the disease, and there is heavy pressure to relax the hygienic measures. </div><div><br /></div><div>The social, emotional, and economic costs to our hygienic measures <i>should </i>be minimized to the extent possible, but not to the extent that they increase sickness and death. Indeed <b>there’s a dangerous trap of prematurely relaxing the hygienic measures, causing R0 to rise and the disease to spread again</b>. This dooms us to more deaths and a more painful and prolonged period of hygienic measures than we would have had to endure if we had just stuck with the measures the first time. As they say in addiction recovery programs, “<b>Half measures availed us nothing</b>.” </div><div><br /></div><div><b>3. </b>Our final objective is to <b>extinguish the fires of COVID and prevent them from reigniting</b>. Extinguishing the fires depends on our keeping R0 consistently below 1 for “a while” through hygienic measures. As I noted earlier, how long it takes depends on how well we adhere to the measures. If we half-ass it with weak, unenforced rules and repeated cycles of premature reopening, we could still be fighting it for years. However, if we buckle down it won’t take that long to get to the point where COVID is nearly gone and we can get back to mostly normal life. Preventing the COVID fires from reigniting will depend on watching carefully for smoldering embers within our borders (testing), and guarding against new sparks from abroad (also testing and international cooperation). <b>The social and economic costs at that stage will be a lot less than they are now, and we can maintain them indefinitely if necessary.</b> However, we may get a break if a safe and effective vaccine is developed and widely administered. When a majority of the population has immunity due to vaccination, it’s very hard for a disease to find susceptible victims. <b>An immunized population is a like a wet and soggy forest, where sparks are unlikely to catch and spread</b>. This is the good kind of “herd immunity.” I have more to say on herd immunity, though. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>WARNING</b>- “Herd immunity” is one of the most misinterpreted things about the COVID-19. Whether or not herd immunity is a desirable outcome or a <i><b>horrible </b></i>outcome is totally dependent on how we GET to it. Herd immunity achieved by <b>mass vaccination</b> would be our absolute best outcome, minimizing loss of life and minimizing suffering by negating the need for hygienic measures. However, herd immunity achieved by <b>mass infection </b>would be the absolute worst outcome. To get herd immunity through mass infection would mean that everybody who COULD die of the disease WOULD die of the disease. That would be something like 1% of the population, which in a country the size of the United States (330,000,000 people) would be millions of people. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Conclusion: </b></div><div><br /></div><div>
The mass infection route to herd immunity would be an appalling folly resulting in unfathomably large numbers of deaths and untold suffering. </div><div><br /></div><div>A half-assed strategy of weak hygienic measures and premature reopening cycles (which seems to be our current strategy) prolongs suffering and leads to high numbers of preventable deaths; not much better than the mass infection route. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Hygienic measures may be annoying, but they are absolutely our best route (and currently our only route, pending a vaccine) back to normal life.</u></b> They will get us to a sustainable state where COVID-19 is basically gone and we’re just waiting for a vaccine to put the final nail in its coffin. So mask up, social distance, and call on your elected representatives to do what science assures us we MUST DO to squelch these deadly fires and return us to normalcy.</div>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-15043651746864871842020-04-28T07:58:00.012-07:002023-06-10T12:44:41.706-07:00Learn Marine Ecology: My Narrated PowerPoint LecturesDue to the COVID-19 pandemic this spring I had to switch from conventional teaching to "online instruction" halfway through the semester at Florida Gulf Coast University. Online instruction is not as efficient, effective, or fun as conventional teaching, but it IS better than nothing. One bonus of producing recorded teaching materials is that I can make them available for free to interested members of the public. I have done this with the lectures for my Marine Ecology course "OCB4633C." This is a required course in the BS Marine Science program at colleges in the Florida State University system. I recorded the lectures by doing "voice overs" of my existing PowerPoint slideshow presentations, then converting the presentations to video and uploading them to YouTube. The voice over recording function in powerpoint also lets you use a "laser pointer" or "pen" tool to scribble on the slides as you talk, so I did a lot of that.
<br />
<br />
These presentations are not National Geographic quality, and some of them move a little slowly with an inordinate amount of "ums" and "ok, so"s. Anyway, with those disclaimers done, here are the videos, in the order that I would normally present these topics to the students. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, if you note mistakes or unclear segments, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
Introduction and Patterns in the Marine Environment<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pckVzLZHQqE" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Intertidal Ecology<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7jsGs1YKDH4" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Primary Production Pt. 1<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kYWCzhZLHjg" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Primary Production Pt. 2<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E-C8b4HZppk" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Secondary Production<br />
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BL9ybSstLpM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Microbial Ecology<br />
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UfpWInZPLg0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Pelagic Ecosystems<br />
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GHnruAyix0M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Continental Shelf Ecosystems<br />
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_PXtGn9NIHA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Estuaries<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_KCcsx1Dvyo" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Seagrass, Saltmarsh, and Mangrove Ecosystems<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9LqIxDxSook" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Coral Reef Ecosystems<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bfmJVwSjsec" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Deep Sea Ecology<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z5xbprVp3eM" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Foodwebs, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Functions (this one is long with a lot of theory; casual watchers may want to skip or save for last)<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/futewuO1-NY" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Fisheries Ecology<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rRd-H8r28Kk" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Aquaculture (aka Fish Farming)<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0LSaUwbfoFc" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Disturbance Ecology<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zXMwGWhlQZo" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Pollution and Climate Change<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ac1aE-WH0U8" width="640"></iframe>
James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-25030302281659683142020-03-05T06:57:00.002-08:002020-03-05T07:04:46.983-08:00Snorkeling spots in Lee County, Florida (Bonita Springs, etc.)<i>Snorkeling Estero Bay from the East side of the road at Bonita Beach Dog Park. </i><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-daz-1aaPVkA/XmEUYzQHc3I/AAAAAAAADZ0/Vjv599wy5iQ_XTBr-JiPmIWFNzeeaZaLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DSCN5581.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-daz-1aaPVkA/XmEUYzQHc3I/AAAAAAAADZ0/Vjv599wy5iQ_XTBr-JiPmIWFNzeeaZaLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/DSCN5581.JPG" width="640" height="480" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a>
<br /><br />
Folks who know I'm a marine biologist often ask me if I can recommend any good, nearby snorkeling spots. (Within the Naples / Bonita Springs / Estero / Fort Myers / Sanibel area.) The answer is YES I CAN- SORT OF.
<br /><br />
The thing is, this part of Florida doesn't have any near-shore coral reefs, and the waters are often dark and murky from a combination of natural and man-made factors like stirred-up mud, tannins, and blooms of microscopic algae that feed off the high levels of nutrients in the water. So even where there IS cool underwater life to see, you often can't see it very well because of the poor water clarity. Having given those disclaimers to set expectations appropriately low, I have had some good snorkeling experiences around here, and I'll tell you where your best bets are to have some good experiences yourself.
<br /><br />
General recommendations-
<br /><br />
1. Best times are weekday mornings before there is much boat traffic to stir up the water. Boats can also run over you and chop you into little giblets of meat with their propellers. So you should bring a dive flag if you're going in an area that potentially has powerboats.
<br /><br />
2. Best times are when it hasn't been too windy / wavy, because wind makes waves and waves stir up mud from the bottom that reduces the visibility. Winds less than 10 knots are usually OK. That said, you can get away with snorkeling when it's windier if the winds are OFFSHORE WINDS. That means winds blowing from the land out to sea. These will not make waves along the shoreline, so they won't stir up the water.
<br /><br />
3. Tide (level and whether it's coming in or going out) matters. Particularly when you're near the mouth of the estuary, where there's a changing mix of fresher estuary water and saltier ocean water, you may get the best water clarity when the tide is coming in, bringing the more clear water from offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. However, if there have recently been a lot of waves in the Gulf of Mexico from West winds, the incoming tide won't help and it could actually be more clear further back into the estuary. Tide can also matter because some sites may be too shallow at low tide or too deep at high tide.
<br /><br />
Specific sites-
<br /><br />
Estero Bay- Estero Bay is a shallow, semi-enclosed body of water where fresh and salt water mix. It has some interesting sea bottom habitats including beds of seagrass and seaweed that often have snails, fish, sea urchins, anemones, crabs, and other organisms living in them. The trick is to find a seagrass bed accessible from shore, in an area where the water isn't too murky. I have had some luck going from the east side of the road at Bonita Beach Dog Park on Lovers Key.There's a shallow area with seagrass, and a deeper channel as you go south towards the New Pass bridge that has some oysters and other shells and often has interesting crabs, urchins, and fish like Mangrove Snappers and Sheepshead.
<br /><br />
<i>A sand perch hanging out by a clump of oyster shells in the deeper channel part. </i><br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gb6AQyMUtNw/XmEVBsloNqI/AAAAAAAADZ8/yuGvOUo8xcAVGy8c5wcS16sSsdNjm2xZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DSCN5588%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gb6AQyMUtNw/XmEVBsloNqI/AAAAAAAADZ8/yuGvOUo8xcAVGy8c5wcS16sSsdNjm2xZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/DSCN5588%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" height="512" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1281" /></a>
<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d14297.355562856796!2d-81.8634447!3d26.3802369!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x0%3A0xafb799467c73b07d!2sBonita%20Beach%20Dog%20Park!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1583419110750!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<br /><br />
Another site at Estero Bay that sometimes works is the Big Carlos Pass beach access at the north end of Lovers Key. Big Carlos Pass is the biggest opening from Estero Bay into the Gulf of Mexico, and it sometimes has pretty clear water on an incoming tide. The bottom there is shelly, and there are some big pieces of rubble further out, like concrete pipes, that are covered with sponges, seaweed, and sometimes soft corals. Underneath the Big Carlos Pass bridge, around the pilings, there are piles of concrete blocks that often have reef fishes swimming around them. Just watch out for fishing lines and boats.
<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d3408.094568166291!2d-81.8783861461294!3d26.402443725330052!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x88db3d67d5756533%3A0x82a1490a67a5405e!2sPlaya%20Bonita%20Springs!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1583419335951!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<br /><br />
The ocean side of Lovers Key can also work for brave snorkelers if the tide is slack or outgoing and there are no waves. Near the entrance to Big Carlos Pass there is kind of a deep channel between shore and an offshore sandbar, and the sand is scoured away from the bottom there revealing rocks with urchins, seaweed, and sometimes big fish. You can swim really far out from shore and still in be in shallow water over the shifting sandbars. Watch out for boats, though.
<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d8343.727270579384!2d-81.88671564026528!3d26.397645349844137!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x88db3d46a15a7395%3A0x36945f2625f69ae4!2sLover's%20Key!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1583420084696!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<br /><br />
San Carlos Bay- San Carlos Bay is the crossroads of several estuaries in the more northern part of Lee County. It's where the Caloosahatchee Estuary meets Matlacha Pass and Pine Island Sound. The toll bridge to Sanibel Island (the Sanibel Causeway) crosses San Carlos Bay and includes two man-made islands where you can pull off and park to snorkel or windsurf or picnic or whatever. Look at the area on Google Earth and pick a spot where you see dark, mottled patches near shore. Those are seagrass and seaweed beds with a mixed shelly / sandy bottom. Depending on which direction the wind is coming from, different sides of the different causeway islands may offer the best shelter from the wind and waves and the most clear water.
<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d22912.668296149877!2d-82.03299840678658!3d26.47367224208036!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x88db3a1be57f3e19%3A0x28b8a59a30ea241!2sCauseway%20Islands%20Park!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1583419680380!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<br /><br />
If you want to snorkel in a similar environment but don't want to pay the $7 toll for the Sanibel Causeway, you can pull off on the side of the road just before the causeway at San Carlos Bay beach.
<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d4050.093460462338!2d-82.00630285268733!3d26.483110070273813!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x88db39842cafa0b3%3A0xe2e79fced7b747a8!2sSan%20Carlos%20Bay%20Beach!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1583419847758!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<br /><br />
Another interesting spot is Bunche Beach, which has a mix of seagrass, seaweed, sand, rock/shell and invertebrates like sponges.
<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d4050.407456201774!2d-81.97082525685478!3d26.474192765572127!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x88db3959f74f5d81%3A0xfc178c69f2ef2596!2sSan%20Carlos%20Bay%20-%20Bunche%20Beach%20Preserve!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1583419938413!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<br /><br />
Good luck exploring, and if you make any great snorkeling discoveries, please share them in the comments. James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-61516352953887603112020-02-23T07:30:00.002-08:002020-02-23T07:30:48.223-08:00Hydrofoil flyby of buddy's OC1 canoeMy friend Matt is a good artist, and tech wizard who gets lots of cool water shots. The other day he caught this clip of us horsing around off Bonita Beach, FL.
<br /><br />
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KA_MiFREAZo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /><br />
If you want to see more of Matt's artistry, check out his <a href="https://www.upriverceramics.com/">ceramics studio webpage</a>.
James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-44000374071070970462020-02-22T17:49:00.001-08:002020-02-22T17:49:11.386-08:00Hydrofoil Windsurf Session with Lots of JibesI'm getting better at jibing my hydrofoil windsurf without touching the water. SO FUN! <br />
<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k6XKrOtZBBA" width="640"></iframe>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-62425015901774018622019-11-10T17:58:00.000-08:002019-11-10T17:58:05.994-08:00CERF Report 2019
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just got back from five days at the 2019 Coastal and
Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) conference in Mobile, Alabama. <a href="https://www.cerf.science/cerf-2019">https://www.cerf.science/cerf-2019</a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke0CeC_T1po/Xci3uO5LOyI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/e4Dvn8yI7iUVPJ9Sn4oWdXbj4Y5I2ZtvQCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191104_070722823_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke0CeC_T1po/Xci3uO5LOyI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/e4Dvn8yI7iUVPJ9Sn4oWdXbj4Y5I2ZtvQCKgBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_20191104_070722823_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Mobile Bay from the hotel room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i79_8mFeuG8/Xci3uIAAJaI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/4HA6j-FTAqAaYE5wXb-JM_f1CqO6BmTVACKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191106_154847994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i79_8mFeuG8/Xci3uIAAJaI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/4HA6j-FTAqAaYE5wXb-JM_f1CqO6BmTVACKgBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_20191106_154847994.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy boat outside the Mobile convention center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d3ThNnlN5tE/Xci3uDu1TLI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/h-mPwJ8y-_EbyNsBLDf_AL89m_e8IE-lQCKgBGAsYHg/s1600/IMG_20191108_090411276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d3ThNnlN5tE/Xci3uDu1TLI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/h-mPwJ8y-_EbyNsBLDf_AL89m_e8IE-lQCKgBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_20191108_090411276.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statistics workshop with collaborators after the meeting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve gone to science conferences like this once or twice per
year since the early 2000s when I was a graduate student at the Virginia
Institute of Marine Science <a href="https://www.vims.edu/">https://www.vims.edu</a>.
Conferences are a place to present your research with a poster or a talk, and
to absorb and exchange ideas from others’ research. My usual conference is the
Benthic Ecology Meeting (BEM <a href="https://www.bemsociety.org/">https://www.bemsociety.org/</a>), which is a get-together of marine biologists who
specialize in sea-bottom life like seagrasses, corals, and shellfish. This was
actually the first time I’ve been to a CERF meeting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CERF overlaps a lot with BEM in terms of topics and
attendees, with a couple of distinctions:</div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">CERF includes more of
what’s happening on land; in the “watersheds” that funnel freshwater and
pollution into the ocean, and along the coastlines where marine and
terrestrial ecosystems interact. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">CERF has more focus on
“applied research” as opposed to “basic research.” I.e., there is more
focus on trying to understand and solve particular environmental problems.
</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My early-career research addressed a lot of basic issues
like how grazers and predators, and biodiversity, per se, affect ecosystem
processes. I’m still interested in those general topics, but my research since
joining the faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University has been more “applied,”
addressing particular environmental problems affecting seagrass beds and water
quality in Southwest Florida. Going to this CERF conference, and schmoozing
with other practitioners of both basic and applied research, was very helpful in
inspiring me and giving me useful research ideas. I’ll briefly review some
memorable things I picked up from the conference. </div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><b>Genetic diversity within a
single species can be very important, especially in seagrasses. </b>In 2004,
A. Randall Hughes et al. published <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/101/24/8998.long">a highly-influential paper</a> showing that
there were many different genetic strains within the eelgrass species (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zostera marina</i>) in California.
Hughes also showed that a genetically-mixed patch of eelgrass could resist
and recover from environmental disturbances (like goose grazing) significantly better, than any one genetic strain alone. Fifteen years later, Hughes’
legacy was apparent at CERF in the numerous presentations on
within-species genetic diversity effects in seagrass beds
from all over the world.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><b>“<a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-living-shorelines">Living shorelines</a>” are a
growing, green revolution, even though most people don’t know what
they are. </b>Sea level rise, subsidence, and erosion are eating away at the
coasts of the world, threatening both natural habitats and man-made coastal
developments. The old way of dealing with this was by heavy-handed
“coastal armoring” (seawalls, jetties, dikes, etc.), which tended to be
expensive, bad for the environment, and prone to failure. The living
shorelines approach uses natural protective elements like oyster reefs,
mangroves, and saltmarsh grasses, in combination with man-made structural
elements, to protect coasts in more natural, self-sustaining, and
environmentally-beneficial ways. I saw talks showing how various living
shoreline projects had reversed erosion, helped absorb nutrient pollution
and carbon dioxide pollution, and created naturally-expanding habitats for
birds, fish, and shellfish. Southwest Florida has hundreds of kilometers
of eroding or unnaturally-armored canals and coasts that are prime
candidates for living shoreline projects. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><b>The global trend of
seagrass decline from the mid 20<sup>th</sup> century until now may have
finally hit bottom and turned around into a recovery phase. </b>However, this
optimistic forecast is driven by a few, positive cases of recovery. Seagrasses continue to decline in many areas. Water quality seems to be a
key factor differentiating the happy seagrass stories from the tragedies. Where
water quality is naturally good, and/or there have been concerted efforts
to improve water quality, seagrasses have spread and algae blooms have decreased.
However, where pollution oversight has been lax, repeated harmful algal
blooms and other water quality issues have devastated seagrass beds. Below
is a rank of several important seagrass ecosystems in the eastern United
States from most exciting recovery to most tragic decline in
recent decades. </li>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="a">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2;"><b>Virginia Coastal Bays-
Exciting recovery!</b> The shallow estuaries on the sparsely populated
eastern side of the Delmarva peninsula are an ideal place for seagrass,
with relatively little pollution. However, they lost all their seagrass
in the 1930s due to a combination of hurricanes and disease, and they just
had bare mud bottoms from then until the 1990s. It was hypothesized that
“recruitment limitation” (a lack of seed supply) was the reason for the
lack of natural recovery in the area. This hypothesis was tested in the
late 1990s when Dr. Robert Orth’s group of VIMS scientists replanted some
seagrass in one of the bays. To their joy, the seagrass <a href="https://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/topstories/archives/2012/eelgrass_restoration_meps.php">rapidly expanded</a>.
Subsequent re-seeding efforts were even more successful. 20 years later,
as Orth is retiring, he can be proud to have helped restore thousands of
acres of seagrass, enhancing fish and waterfowl populations, improving
water clarity, and furnishing the other wonderful “ecosystem services”
that come with healthy seagrass beds. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2;"><b>Tampa Bay and Boston
Harbor- Hard-Won Victories. </b>In the late 20<sup>th</sup> century, population
growth in the Tampa Bay watershed led to severe nutrient pollution from
wastewater and stormwater runoff. The nutrient pollution caused
“eutrophication” – a chronic overgrowth of algae in the water and on the
bottom. In these dark and murky waters, seagrasses perished for lack of
light. Managers in the region got serious about upgrading wastewater
treatment plants and stormwater infrastructure, and implementing stricter
regulations on the sale and use of fertilizer. They started a multitude
of projects, large and small, to reduce nutrient inputs. As one of their
benchmarks for success they aimed to return seagrass beds to 1950s
levels. Sure enough, nutrient levels in the water declined, which caused
algae levels in the water to decline, which made the water clear enough
for seagrass beds to rapidly expand. Tampa Bay recently <a href="http://baysoundings.com/tampa-bay-seagrasses-continue-to-surpass-recovery-goal/">surpassed the 1950s-based goal</a>, and now has some of the clearest and fishiest water in
generational memory. Another seagrass area in the USA that has a big
urban population but has nevertheless made good progress in <a href="https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/plants-algae/signs-recovering-harbor">seagrass restoration is the Boston Harbor area</a>. They made billion dollar
investments in upgraded sewage treatment infrastructure, which translated
into clearer harbor waters, regrowth of seagrass, and an invigorated city
waterfront economy. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2;"><b>Chesapeake Bay- Finally
turning the corner?</b> Chesapeake Bay is a huge estuary spanning multiple
states, with a watershed area that extends into even more states. The
watershed includes many, heavily populated areas, as well as many areas
of intensive agriculture, which makes reducing pollution to the bay a
huge organizational challenge. The federally-funded Chesapeake Bay
Program has been tracking bay health and implementing nutrient-reduction
and habitat restoration projects in the area for years. There have been
some ups and downs, with climate variation (extreme wet and dry, hot and
cold years, etc.) often throwing a wrench in the works. But now, finally,
it seems that <a href="https://ian.umces.edu/blog/2018/06/20/seagrass-recovery-in-chesapeake-bay-a-success-for-chesapeake-bay-research-and-restoration/">a signal of recovery is emerging through the noise</a>.
Seagrasses in the bay are doing a bit better, though they still have a
way to go before they meet the restoration goal. It’s time to seize that
momentum and double down on restoration to make sure the positive trend
continues and stabilizes. One encouraging thing to think about is the
developing synergy between different types of habitat restoration effort
in the bay. For example, restoring oyster beds along shorelines and
channels in the bay increases the bay’s filter feeding capacity, which
improves water clarity and can indirectly benefit seagrasses. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2;"><b>Florida Bay- Still Dicey.
</b> Florida Bay is the shallow expanse of water between the Everglades and
the Florida Keys. It has relatively little nutrient pollution because of
its unpopulated surroundings and the fact that most of the freshwater
that enters it has been filtered through the extensive wetlands of the
Everglades. The seagrass beds in Florida Bay are some of the largest in
the world. However, Florida Bay periodically suffers from massive
seagrass dieoffs related to hypersalinity (excessive saltiness). <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2006/5287/pdf/FloridaBay.pdf">These hypersalinity events are worse now that much of the freshwater flow of the Everglades has been diverted for human uses.</a> After a seagrass dieoff in Florida Bay there
are after-shocks that can lead to more seagrass dieoffs. For example,
dead and rotting seagrass releases nutrients into the water that fuel
dense algal blooms. Furthermore, the lack of seagrass allows mud to be
stirred up from the bottom by wind waves. The resultant plumes of dark,
murky water kill more seagrass and other sea-bottom life, such as sponges,
which are important filter feeders and habitat-providers. Everglades
restoration projects are supposed to eventually deliver more freshwater
to Florida Bay and reduce the hypersalinity events. Unfortunately,
restoration progress is slow, and held up by contentious debates about
things like how low the nutrient levels in the freshwater must be to
prevent damage to the Everglades and the Bay. In the meantime, Florida
Bay seagrasses die whenever there is a drought exacerbated by the
unnaturally low freshwater flow. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2;"><b>Southwest Florida (Lee
and Collier County)- Missing the recovery train. </b>At the CERF meeting
there was an ironic juxtaposition between my gloomy talk about
“collapsing” ecosystems in SW Florida, and the talk that immediately
followed mine, which was a sunny one about “recovering” ecosystems in SW
Florida. Really we were both right; we were just talking about different
parts of SW Florida. <a href="https://esassoc.com/about/employees/david-tomasko-phd/">The other guy </a>was talking about the northerly part
of SW Florida that includes Tampa Bay but not Lee and Collier County, and
I was talking about the southerly part of SW Florida that includes Lee
and Collier County but not Tampa Bay. Anyway, seagrasses in my study
areas are dying due to a combination of water <b>quantity</b> issues and water
<b> quality</b> issues. The water quantity issues are well-known and related to
artificial discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River,
which did not historically connect to the Lake. High discharges make the
water of the Caloosahatchee Estuary and other connected estuaries too
fresh for most seagrasses to survive, and also deliver dark, tannic
waters, high nutrients, and sometimes harmful algae blooms to the
estuaries and Gulf of Mexico. However, at other times the Caloosahatchee River
flow is withheld for human uses and saltwater creeps abnormally far
upstream, killing freshwater plants. While we have been obsessed with our
bipolar water quantity problem and its complex solutions (which involve expensive
changes to clean Okeechobee water and send more of it south into the
Everglades again), we have been developing an equally serious water
QUALITY problem that is more local in origin. I.e., sprawling development
related to the ballooning population of SW Florida, in combination with
weak regulations on both urban and agricultural nutrient sources, have led
to rampant <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/eutrophication.html">eutrophication</a> of SW Florida’s estuaries. Our water is
becoming too murky for seagrasses to grow, even at shallow depths, and
gunky seaweeds are taking over formerly seagrassy places like Estero Bay.
Furthermore, we have become the epicenter of a variety of recurring
harmful algae blooms, some of them very dangerous to humans and other
animals, and all of them related at least in part to our nutrient
pollution. I asked one of the Tampa Bay restoration scientists what folks in “true SW Florida” could do to emulate Tampa Bay’s story of
improving water quality and seagrass. He said, simply, “<b>Start doing
projects</b>.” I think that’s excellent advice. It’s going to take lots of
small and large nutrient-reduction projects to fix our water quality problem,
so let’s start now and try to build momentum. While we’re doing little
restoration things in our yards and communities, we can ask our leaders
for big sewage system upgrades to “tertiary treatment with coupled
nitrification-denitrification,” which removes most of the harmful
nutrients and is what Tampa has, for the most part. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2;"><b>Indian River Lagoon-
Paradise Lost. </b>There’s one major seagrass system in Florida that is doing
even worse than SW Florida, and that is the Indian River Lagoon (IRL)- a
long, narrow estuary that runs parallel to the coast from Palm Beach to
Cape Canaveral. The IRL is significant as the most biologically diverse
estuary in the United States, because it spans from the temperate zone
to the tropics and has a blend of species from both zones. A lot of those
species depend directly or indirectly on the seven species of seagrasses
found in the IRL. Up until 2011 the seagrasses and water clarity were
slowly declining as a result of nutrient loading from human population
growth in the areas around the IRL, combined with water quantity and
salinity problems related to various canal systems and water diversions.
But in 2011 the shit really hit the fan with a so-called “<a href="http://www.irlcouncil.com/uploads/7/9/2/7/79276172/24._2011superbloomreport_april2015.pdf">superbloom</a>” of
phytoplankton. The plankton darkened the waters and wiped out a majority
of the IRL’s seagrass beds. Since then there have been all kinds of other
nasty phytoplankton blooms alternating with nasty seaweed blooms, fish
kills related to low oxygen, and even a <a href="https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/nccos-supports-enhanced-monitoring-brown-tide-floridas-indian-river-lagoon/">super duper bloom</a> in 2016 that
was bigger than the original super bloom. It’s going to take a lot of
nutrient reduction work, including septic to sewer conversions, new
regulations on agriculture and suburban fertilizer use, wetland
restoration, and other projects to restore the IRL. Needless to say,
stricter limits on growth and sprawl are also desperately needed in the
IRL watershed, as they are in SW Florida’s watersheds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PS- Another Florida East Coast estuary
that I’ll lump in with the IRL is Biscayne Bay, the high salinity estuary
off of South Miami. It recently lost almost all its seagrasses as the
culmination of decades of chronic nutrient loading and declining water
quality. To preserve delicate ecosystems like seagrasses and reefs next
door to a heavily populated area takes a serious investment in nutrient reduction
infrastructure and regulation. Boston and Tampa did it fairly well, but SW Florida and SE Florida have dragged their feet to dire effect. </li>
</ol>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><b>Climate change effects are
showing up all over the place. </b>A lot of research was presented on climate
change impacts such as warming, sea level rise, and species range shifts. One
of the sea level rise impacts examined was the shift of coastal forests to
saltmarshes as saline water inundates roots. There were also tons of
studies of the expansion of the black mangrove (<i>Avicennia germinans</i>)
northward into former saltmarsh habitats. If the trend continues mangroves
will eventually replace most of the saltmarshes along the Gulf of Mexico
coastline. Seagrasses are also undergoing species range shifts. For
example, in North Carolina where the temperate seagrass <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zostera marina</i> is at the southern
end of its range and the tropical seagrass <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halodule wrightii</i> is at the northern end of its range, the
ratio of the two coexisting species is shifting in favor of the tropical
one. My own research colleagues presented data from turtlegrass (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thalassia testudinum</i>) beds from
Panama to Bermuda, which suggested that the intensity of grazing by
tropical grazers is increasing in some areas, possibly due to warming. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><b>Academia is a mixed bag. </b>This is something I got from talking to a lot people I hadn’t
seen since graduate school. Some were happy with their current lot, others were very frustrated. It seems that academic
institutional cultures and pressures vary a lot from place to place.
Some of my peers are flourishing in professional and supportive
environments, while others are changing jobs in angst or leaving
academia entirely due to shitty work environments. One of the stresses
that some institutions seem to handle better than others is the teaching –
research tradeoff. Expecting faculty to do a lot of both doesn’t seem to
work well, and institutions transitioning from more teaching oriented to
more research oriented sometimes jerk their faculty back and forth a lot
through this process. I realized I’m pretty lucky to have landed at FGCU,
where the teaching-research balance suits me pretty well. </li>
</ol>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
line-height:107%;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:1762212067;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-2124131920 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:1797142128;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:-631227000 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
-->
</style>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-69018642087197747912019-10-29T18:40:00.002-07:002019-10-30T06:23:15.264-07:00Red tide house of horrors in SW Florida, Halloween 2019Last year we had an unprecedentedly bad run of harmful algae blooms in Florida, fueled by rampant nutrient pollution. (See my <a href="https://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2018/07/eutrophication-word-every-floridian.html">July 2018</a> post.) The most widespread of those HABs was a nightmarish <i>Karenia brevis</i> bloom that that affected every shore of the Florida peninsula but was worst in my area, Southwest Florida. After killing scores of dolphins, sea turtles, birds, and manatees, and literally tons of fish and invertebrates, the bloom finally dissipated over the winter. Following that, we had a relatively dry 2019, and a less than usual amount of regulated discharge from Lake Okeechobee to SW Florida's Caloosahatchee River. Folks crossed their fingers that the algae nightmare was gone. But marine biologists and other careful observers knew that nutrient pollution was still flooding into our waterways in the form of poorly managed agriculture, chemical-soaked urban/suburban landscapes, badly maintained stormwater ponds, overloaded sewage and septic systems, etc.
<br /><br />
Though the coastal waters looked fairly clear for much of the spring and summer, if you stuck your head under the water you'd see the signs of trouble. The bottom was covered in piles of macroalgae (seaweed) and stringy billows of filamentous cyanobacteria. These bottom-dwelling algae were feasting on nutrients released from decaying organic matter, submarine groundwater discharge, and other sources. The thing about nutrients is that they never really go away- they just cycle through different forms as they slowly move through the environment. If the cycle is in balance, fine. But when we keep adding extra nutrients to the cycle, the excess grows cumulatively, year on year, and the harmful algae blooms grow stronger with each return. The only solution is major reduction in man-made nutrient loading (much less fertilizer, much better sewage treatment, etc.), combined with major increase in nutrient removal (through the protection and enhancement of vegetated habitats like wetlands that absorb nutrients and take them out of circulation).
<br /><br />
The sadness of our recurring red tide situation was emphasized to me today by what I saw, smelled, and felt when doing fieldwork for an oyster restoration project in Naples Bay. Red tide concentrations were high enough in the bay to be clearly visible as a maroon haze in the water, and dead fish were floating belly-up everywhere. (High concentrations were also measured quantitatively in the area, as indicated on <a href="https://myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/">https://myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/</a>) Yet, at the Naples City Dock marina there were no warning signs or anything posted, and patrons at "The Dock" restaurant were dining inches from the dead fish and toxic algae, apparently completely in the dark about its health risks. I didn't have much choice about getting in the water because it's my job as a marine biologist, but it seemed absurd to me that people would be paying to put themselves in that environment.
<br /><br />
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjames.douglass.144%2Fposts%2F10101880861046257&width=500" width="500" height="692" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>
<br /><br />
The immediate symptoms of exposure to red tide toxins are obvious. Exposure to the aerosolized toxins (e.g., from boat wakes or breaking waves) causes coughing, burning eyes, headaches, etc. Exposure to higher concentrations of toxins through contaminated seafood is worse, resulting in neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. However, what troubles me more is the less-known long term effects of red tide toxin exposure. Last year after the big blooms I got the longest-lasting and worst cough/bronchitis I've ever had. I would wake up in the middle of night every night with terrifying, suffocating coughing fits. I'm not just a crybaby hypochondriac who makes shit like this up, either. This really happened to me. Also, just about everybody I know who was around the water a lot last year had similar respiratory complaints. So I'm inclined to think that red tide exposure is a lot more dangerous than our state's cavalier attitude about posting warning signs and such leads residents and tourists to believe.
<br /><br />
PS- Some particular actions that would reduce harmful algae blooms in Naples Bay, and which we should strongly lobby our leaders to take, are: <br />
1) stricter and better-enforced fertilizer rules for both agriculture and urban/suburban environments, <br />
2) better management of the canals and stormwater ponds that feed into Naples Bay; i.e., stop killing the beneficial wetland plants with mowing and poisoning, <br />
3) pony up the cash for septic to sewer conversions and upgrade the capacity and treatment level of wastewater plants, <br />
4) moratorium on new development in wetland and shoreline areas, <br />
5) reintroduce "living shoreline" elements like mangroves and oysters along developed waterfronts to filter nutrients and algae out of the water, <br />
6) re-route the drainage expansions that increased the watershed area of Naples Bay from 10 sq miles to 130 sq miles so that it's not overloaded with more freshwater and pollution than the ecosystem can handle.<br />
James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-29714367245157767522019-10-07T17:17:00.000-07:002019-10-07T17:17:01.162-07:00Just a picture of a guy windfoilingThe other day my photographer buddy Greg and I were doing wind-powered hydrofoil things in Estero Bay and Greg took this good picture with his GoPro camera. It's me with a 4.7 sail on an old Exocet formula board equipped with a Slingshot Hoverglide FWind1 with 76 cm Infinity wing. The wind is in the 10-15 knots range.
<br /><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SzVSL5pQvik/XZvRqGMjS5I/AAAAAAAACoc/Ag8eKcbu9aIKE2IhZbs_yGoqG441AnBnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/6332.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SzVSL5pQvik/XZvRqGMjS5I/AAAAAAAACoc/Ag8eKcbu9aIKE2IhZbs_yGoqG441AnBnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/6332.jpg" width="640" height="488" data-original-width="1283" data-original-height="978" /></a>
<br /><br />
Greg took the picture while balancing on his tiny 6'6" SUP board with a GoFoil Maliko 280 hydrofoil, which he has been riding with a 5.0 Duotone handheld wing. Greg is rapidly improving on that setup, which I can testify is not that easy to use- especially not in light, shifty, or gusty wind, where the self-supporting stability and precise control of a windsurf sail is nice to have. James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124426997314960696.post-25319641471908821642019-10-05T19:53:00.002-07:002019-10-05T19:54:42.138-07:00Windsurf sail mounted to 14x23 SUP RaceboardI tried mounting an 8.0 windsurfing sail on my 14'x23" Rivera RP SUP raceboard today. I had to do a lot of fiddling to get the universal joint attached to the carry handle on the SUP, but once I was actually on the water it was a lot of fun. I filmed some video of sailing it with my version 1.0 universal joint attachment, which was pretty wobbly, but worked. The location is the north end of Lovers Key in Bonita Springs, Florida, where there is a bridge over Big Carlos Pass, which connects the Gulf of Mexico to Estero Bay. There's some red tide beginning to affect the area again, and beachgoers including myself were coughing a bit.
<br /><br />
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-38_Li4KZkQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br /><br />
After filming I redid the mast base attachment and went out for a second round of sailing. The new attachment felt a lot more secure, and emboldened me to circumnavigate Lovers Key on the craft (see GPS track). Under sail power the board felt light and sleek, and had a smooth transition from gliding to planing. It went upwind OK considering that it didn't have a daggerboard.
<br /><br />
<iframe height='405' width='590' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/activities/2766076210/embed/a3564d2a945990cf75c79cd815302c2c05dd6205'></iframe>James Douglasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15380226220764974087noreply@blogger.com0