Toxic algae harming marine mammals in California
My intention was to write an essay that was political in nature for today, but when we got home last night, we were hit with a power outage. Power wasn’t going to be restored for several hours, and it was already late. Not only that, but now that you know that I use my phone and two fingers to type, I only had 2% battery life, and therefore, wouldn’t get too far with my writing.
So, before my phone dies, I’ll briefly share that this past weekend, our family spent time at two central California beaches. We were surprised to see lone sea lions on the shoreline.
Crowds gathered around the sea lions, looking at them in wonderment. They almost looked intoxicated. It was then that we learned about a toxic algae that has made sick or killed more than 1,000 marine animals in June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). You can learn more about the situation here:
https://abc7.com/amp/algae-bloom-southern-california-dolphins-sea-lions-sick-santa-barbara/13419881/
Photo credit: Jennifer Schmidt (my sister)
Excess heat and fertilizer overflow into water is largely due to humans. The alarm by scientists about our environment started in the mid to late 60’s and instead of action it became the inconvenient truth to be denied by one political party. Greed and short sightedness is what behind the killing of these beautiful sea lions.
It is no surprise that global warming is killing marine life. It has raised sea levels, changed the salinity of water and has exploded algae blooms across the seven seas. The extreme weather in hurricanes and tornadoes are also changing behavior habits of migration birds. I fear it may be too late to reverse the effects of global warming before more sea life and life in general are lost for good. We must demand accountability of our elected officials and industries responsible for global warming.