This dolphin was constructed out of cardboard and then painted. Like the whale shark, it was added as part of the noted art festival project.

This whale shark was constructed from cardboard. From then, it was filled in with a marker. The design was added as part of an art project designed for art festivals.

While pollution affects the oceans, its effects extend to freshwater as well. I saw this firsthand as I cleaned up my neighborhood block.

My neighborhood block consists of private property but also two public properties, each featuring a freshwater pond. There was a noticeably larger amount of pollution found in the ponds over public properties, a scenario known as the tragedy of the commons.

Pollution ranged from plastic to styrofoam to glass. The complete results are shown below in this photograph.

Animal agriculture and sugar farming is causing harmful algal blooms in Lake Okeechobee. From here, that water flows to the coast, sending that water into the ocean.

For more information, please see The Weather Channel’s short film.

During the final days of the past month, a whale shark, the world’s largest shark, washed up on the Florida coast in the precise location of Sanibel Island. The cause of death is suspected to be red tide.

Red tide is a harmful algal bloom that often kills thousands of fish with its blooms. It consists of the organism Karenia Brevis, a toxic organism.

Like most algal blooms, phosphorus (found in both fertilizers and animal manure), can fuel red tide. Fertilizer and animal agricultural runoff, as a result, can support the growth of harmful algal blooms such as red tide.

Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/08/03/a-red-tide-ravaging-florida-may-have-killed-a-whale-shark-for-the-first-known-time/?utm_term=.00bfcecfd495

This painting was designed for shark week.