[Coral-List] Why we are failing to repair coral reefs - Bring back the trains!

Eric Buck ericbuck at aol.com
Sat Nov 8 11:23:43 EST 2014


Bring back Flagler's trains!

Trains would have to have special cars to carry boat trailers of course and local shuttles to carry people the last mile, but this would be an interesting way to clean up personal vehicle pollution and congestion in the Keys.


Eric



> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 11:03:46 -0500
> From: Eugene Shinn <eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
> Subject: [Coral-List] Why we are failing to repair coral reefs
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Message-ID: <545B9BE2.8050705 at mail.usf.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> With all the concerns about saving coral reefs I was surprised no one 
> picked up on the thread of Martin Moe's recent posting concerning tire 
> rubber. Using old tires for artificial reefs blossomed in the early 
> 1970s but their use quickly subsided when various chemicals in the 
> artificial rubber were found to be toxic. NOAA supported experimentation 
> with tires as reefs. Their FLAIR project consisted of dozens of tires 
> bound together and placed in about 25 ft of water in what was then 
> Biscayne National Monument. At the end of the project I observed and 
> filmed the collection of tropical fish it had harbored. What was most 
> noticeable was that although small fish hid in the tires little if 
> anything grew on the rubber it self. In time it became apparent toxic 
> components leaching from the tires prevents encrustation by marine 
> organisms. Tire reefs soon when out of favor. Clearly tire rubber was 
> not good for the reef environment so it is no wonder that the black 
> rubber powder produced by the abrasion of tire tread (as pointed out by 
> Martin) has the potential to be highly toxic. As he pointed out, rain 
> flushes the chemical mix into surrounding waters. This is increasingly 
> likely in the Florida Keys for three reasons:
> 
> 1.) There is only one main highway connecting the keys. Highway US1 is 
> close to the water on most of the keys. Bridges of course pass over the 
> water.
> 
> 2) The chemicals in the rubber powder if not going directly into 
> surrounding water, enters the porous limestone and ground water. Even 
> where there are storm drains the water ultimately drains into the saline 
> groundwater, which in most cases is anoxic, contains ammonia and 
> hydrogen sulfide. This all makes for a potentially toxic mix that is no 
> more than a foot or two below the surface over about 75 percent of the 
> Keys. That's right, 75 percent of the Florida Keys surface area is only 
> one meter or less above present sea level. In all cases due to tidal 
> pumping and higher Gulf side sea level net movement of ground water is 
> toward the Atlantic. Movement through the limestone amounts to roughly 
> 2-meters per day!
> 
> 3) Auto and boat trailer traffic on that single asphalt artery is 
> bumper-to-bumper during much of the year and increasing each year. Multi 
> wheel tractor-trailers deliver goods to Key West throughout the night 
> when auto traffic subsides. Clearly a lot of rubber powder is being 
> produced and flushed into the surrounding sea or ground water that in 
> turn flushes into near shore Atlantic waters. It is little wonder that 
> Martin Moe has such difficulty rearing sensitive urchin eggs and larvae 
> in seawater collected near his laboratory. Meanwhile people keep 
> flooding into the Florida Keys and loving 'em to death. Determining 
> toxicity and amount looks like a good study for some one to attempt.  Gene
> 
> --
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
> No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
> ------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
> E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
> University of South Florida
> College of Marine Science Room 221A
> 140 Seventh Avenue South
> St. Petersburg, FL 33701
> <eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
> Tel 727 553-1158
> ---------------------------------- -----------------------------------
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2014 12:34:49 -0500
> From: Doug Strom <dstrom at waterandair.com>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Why we are failing to repair coral reefs
> To: Eugene Shinn <eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
> Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAFPVv6MOfEmywqTvWcvDh=FQVSLhdgKbK+5rpmkHzrhHAe_-+g at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> I would add that the lead weights used to balance tires are at least as
> much a hazard as the tires themselves.
> 
> These routinely fall off, and are ground to dust by traffic. It is routine
> to find elevated lead on roadsides due to this factor. The Florida Keys
> roadside is the water.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Doug Strom
> ___________________________________________________
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> Doug Strom
> Biology Department Manager
> Project Scientist - Aquatic Ecologist
> Water & Air Research Inc.
> 6821 SW Archer Road
> Gainesville, Florida 32608
> Toll Free: 800.242.4927
> Direct: 352.224.1555
> Local: 352.372.1500 Extension 186
> Cell: 352.359.1010 Fax: 352.378.1500
> dstrom at waterandair.com <http://www.waterandair.com/>
> www.waterandair.com
> 
> On Thu, Nov 6, 2014 at 11:03 AM, Eugene Shinn <eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
> wrote:
> 



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