(www.Nature.com/Scientific Reports, Sept 2020)
Weather – heat & rain – can worsen conditions in the Lagoon, making our actions even more important. According to Dr. Duane De Freese of the National Estuary Program: Not good news for the Indian River Lagoon. La Niña conditions may influence the current Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) conditions in Brevard and Indian River Counties as well as the likelihood of freshwater discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie River/Estuary and southern IRL. The 2016 brown tide bloom and devastating fish kill in the Banana River coincided with a wet and late tropical storm season and La Niña. If you want to explore the science, check out the recent scientific article published by Dr Ed Phlips, Susan Badylak, Natalie G. Nelson and the Late Karl E. Havens.