Join the EISF production team in Florida as they explore the local red tide – a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) caused by the micro-organism Karenia brevis.
Residents and tourists, scientists and entrepreneurs, doctors and politicians are among the people EISF encounters on this quest to unearth the impact and causes of this naturally occurring, but unwelcome, phenomenon.
Writer/Production Coordinator Betsy Crowfoot reports on the production of the High Definition Documentary Project; spotlighting the fascinating and inspiring work being done to preserve Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast.
Right: This NOAA satellite image of the Gulf of Mexico displays chlorophyll and forecast winds for Sept. 13, 2006, illustrating verified HABs in red and other bloom areas in yellow.
Another 15 minutes.
We arrived painfully early at our rendezvous point at Fort Desoto, Florida after a 45-minute drive – having allowed two hours. The sun was barely poking out of the horizon, and all I could think of at that dawning hour on Tampa Bay, was how I could have stayed in bed another 15 minutes.
Scouting the island for coffee (non-existent at this hour) we stopped instead to capture on HD film the golden sun as it rose from behind the Skyway Bridge. A multitude of seabirds danced their stealth ballet at waters edge, seemingly oblivious to the cars buzzing in the distance. It was a spectacular juxtaposition of natural and man-made elements, and reminded me of the permanence of the footprint mankind has placed on the earth.
Florida’s red tide could be one such example of the impact of man. The root of this Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) is a naturally occurring micro-organism (Karenia brevis) that seems to be proliferating in recent years – much to the chagrin of tourists, residents, health officials and businesspeople. One can’t help but wonder: is it something we are doing that has caused this HAB to be so frequent, and so enduring, of late?
This, of course, is the nature of much of the scientific research going on by organizations like Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) – a group we were to join that morning at Fort Desoto. Researcher Ryan Pigg and his team were venturing a few miles out into the Gulf of Mexico to collect water samples at specified study sites, and we’d follow along: bounding sloppily in our own boat through four-foot seas, drenched from head to toe, trying to capture the essence of the research.
Water temperature, salinity, the presence of Karenia brevis and other organisms, and so on would be culled from the samples, to determine what conditions coincide with the red tide bloom.
Later, after a brilliant interview with FWRI Biologist Sue Lowerre-Barbieri, we would join a second (much drier) research trip through the bay. Sue’s team had been studying the reproductive habits of Spotted and Sand Sea Trout and had documented, via the spawning trout’s drumming noises, their visits to the spawning site … until one day, all-of-a-sudden, the trout all disappeared. It concurred with a red tide bloom in July 2005; and we would watch this day in September of 2006 as Biologist Sarah Walters cast net after net in the hopes of catching a Spotted Sea Trout – and found none.
The team worked until sunset: casting nets, making visual studies, and listening on hydrophones for any hint of the trout. I was struck with the tenacity and dedication of all of the field workers we met on this trip – despite long hours, uncomfortable weather and sea conditions, unanswered questions, and disappointing results. And I dared anyone to say ‘Nothing is being done about red tide’ – as we had heard so often – as the researchers puttered back to the launch ramp beneath a crimson and gold streaked sky.
-Submitted by Betsy Crowfoot, EISF Writer and Production Coordinator
It was a grim sight: a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle splayed in a big black tub; curiously still.
So paralyzed by the potent neurotoxins of Karenia brevis, it was unable to lift its head to breathe while swimming. Instead, it lay motionless on a thick pad of foam, kept moist by a fine mist of water, at the MOTE Marine Laboratory’s Rehabilitation Center.
Loggerheads are benthic, or bottom feeders. They eat shellfish, crabs, and fish – animals laden with high concentrations of Karenia brevis during red tide blooms like the present one. Over 100 sick sea turtles had been brought in last year and now 2006 numbers were rivaling that count: just another example of the effects of this Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB).
But chances of recovery had improved in the past year, thanks to Dr. Charles Manire and the MOTE staff, who do the twice-daily checkups and treatment at the center.
Dr. Manire’s staff began their early morning rounds by lifting the lumbering turtle gently up, so the veterinarian could take a blood sample. Then its head was rested on the padded edge of the tub and hindquarters elevated, to encourage the symptomatic mucus to drain from its throat and mouth. After the routine exam, the assistants stood the turtle on end while Dr. Manire slid a tube down its throat, to force-feed some fishy gruel. It was then laid back on its cushioned perch, misters turned on, and Dr. Manire proceeded to the next.
Sea turtles are thought to be barometers of the seas – sort of like canaries in coal mines, they are indicators of woes. And here there were –- a slew of sickened sea turtles. I couldn’t help but wonder: what is the red tide doing to us?
At Siesta Key, Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick (MOTE Manager of the Environmental Health Program) and Dr. Lora Fleming (University of Miami Professor of Epidemiology) were working on just that. Along with a swat team of field workers numbering in the dozens, the partnership was studying the effects of the Karenia brevis ‘aerosol’ on human health.
Because of the fragile exoskeleton of Karenia brevis, the neurotoxin is released in to the air when the micro-organism is ruptured in the tumbling waves. The amount people breathe in is a fraction of what sea turtles ingest in their diet. But still, Public Health officials are resolved to determine whether it’s a fleeting irritant, or can cause chronic problems.
So on select days, a study group of volunteers come to the beach and submit to a round of tests -- nasal swabs, spiramoter breathing tests that measure lung capacity, blood samples, etc. – both before and after their exposure to the aerosol.
They came in all ages, shapes and sizes to participate in this vital research and the crew filmed the process; then proceeded to the beach where water and air sampling were underway too. Everywhere we went, people asked what we were doing, asked about Florida’s red tide, and we asked them questions in return. Their perceptions and knowledge were far and wide, but a common denominator was the quest to know more.
-Submitted by Betsy Crowfoot, EISF Writer and Production Coordinator
It’s always an amazing experience when I show people high definition footage, particularly, when it is their first time seeing this high resolution, immersive format. The wonderment, the awe, the total engagement with the content is so rewarding. Further, the spontaneous and even unsolicited brainstorming that transpires when the viewers recognize the unmatched scientific, education and outreach applications of this very special media is additionally satisfying. These same outcomes occurred with our recent mobile high definition screening at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. During a marathon week of 18 hour production days, my team and I were also involved in several high definition screenings in Sarasota and Bradenton Beach, Florida. With the assistance of Brian Greene and his “one of a kind” mobile HD production coach, we took the world of high definition, literally, right to the doors of our selected audiences.
Brian pulled up the gleaming silver 45 ft. mobile production coach to the Mote parking lot, complete with his “high definition theater on wheels”, including a large high definition plasma screen, a HD deck and a load of HD tapes for the screening. Dr. Bud Cross, EISF’s Science Advisor, and I were also on board, anticipating how our visiting viewers might react.
Throughout the afternoon, scientists from Mote and various governmental agencies, Mote employees and board members, START (Solutions to Avoid Red Tide) members and others boarded the coach and were directed to their seats in the mobile HD theater. Surrounded by the high definition equipment and the surround sound audio, our guests eagerly listened to our overview of high definition and the details of our red tide documentary production. But when they were treated to a multitude of high definition videos, as well as, a glimpse of some of the high definition footage shot during the September red tide production shoots, the comments made our work as filmmakers all the better.
Ryan Denton, START Manasota Chapter director, exclaimed that the HD footage inspired him, that it was the most effective means of outreach that he’s ever seen and said we should “show it to the legislators to raise more funds for red tide research.” Andy Reich, Coordinator for the Aquatic Toxins Program of Bureau of Community Environmental Health Florida Department of Health, as another example, said that our underwater, marine related high definition footage prompted him to feel the same emotions he experienced when he first decided to be a marine biologist. Statements like that reminded me as to why I decided to become a filmmaker and why I started the Essential Image Source Foundation. The passion Ryan and Andy felt viewing our HD footage is the same intense passion that motivates my team and me to make a difference with high definition media every day and with every project. And on this day, Ryan, Andy and the others really made a difference to us!
-Submitted by Susan Sember, President & Founder of the Essential Image Source Foundation