Link to Reference: Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS)

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Highlights:
- Before an appropriate management action can be formulated, the cause of the biological impairment must be determined. Defensible causal analyses require knowledge of the mechanisms, symptoms, and stressor-response relationships for various specific stressors as well as the ability to use that knowledge to draw appropriate conclusions.
- CADDIS is an online application that helps scientists and engineers in the Regions, States and Tribes find, access, organize, use and share information to conduct causal evaluations in aquatic systems.

Over a thousand water bodies in the United States are listed by states as biologically impaired. For many of these, the cause of the impairment is also reported as "unknown". Before an appropriate management action can be formulated, the cause of the biological impairment must be determined. Defensible causal analyses require knowledge of the mechanisms, symptoms, and stressor-response relationships for various specific stressors as well as the ability to use that knowledge to draw appropriate conclusions.

CADDIS is an online application that helps scientists and engineers in the Regions, States and Tribes find, access, organize, use and share information to conduct causal evaluations in aquatic systems. It is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Stressor Identification process which is a formal method for identifying causes of impairments in aquatic systems. Current features of this site include:
• The Step-by-Step Guide to conducting a causal analysis,
• Example worksheets
, a library of conceptual models, and
• Information sources including related links, glossary and acronyms, and a reference section.

Future plans include modules on deriving empirical stressor-response relationships, stressor-specific tolerance values, and databases and syntheses of relevant literature on sediments and toxic metals. Future versions will be developed incrementally and iteratively (updates to this site can be found on our recent additions page), and your input and feedback will be essential to the system's success.

Link to Reference: Jonathan M. Gitlin, 9/2/05

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Highlights:
- what do we mean by a hurricane?
- Hurricanes are measured on the Saffir-Sampson scale, ranging from Category 1 (up to 95 mph) to Category 5 (above 155 mph).
- What has caused Katrina to be such a killer?
- The answers, it seems, are multiple. Geography has a large part to play. New Orleans is a city below sea level. This, in itself might not be so bad. Death Valley is also below sea level, but then Death Valley is pretty far from the Pacific coast. New Orleans is also built on the Mississippi delta, where the largest river in North America meets the ocean. Over the past hundred years, dikes and levees have been constructed along the banks of the Mississippi to contain its annual flood. Ironic, then, that this flood defense strategy must bear responsibility for the damage to the city. As the Mississippi cannot flood, all the silt and sediment that washes down river from as far north as Minnesota ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, rather than on the lower Mississippi flood plain. There are several consequences to this. New Orleans continues to sink, as the sediment it is built on settles and is not replenished, the surrounding coastal wetlands and bayou are lost—on the order of 30-40 square miles a year. The sediment that does run off into the Gulf, laden with fertilizer and agricultural run off, creates algal blooms that deplete the oxygen from large areas of ocean, causing large dead zones where marine life is wiped out.

The last consequence is merely disastrous for the marine inhabitants, and the fishing communities, but the first two have a direct effect on the damage we're seeing on TV. Obviously, New Orleans' low-lying nature means that, unlike other areas that experience flooding, there is nowhere for the water to drain. But what about the bayou? Every three or four miles of wetland between the coast and New Orleans will absorb around a foot of storm surge. Given that the coast is now 40 miles closer to the city than it was 60 years ago, you can see the impact this has had. Katrina’s storm surge was between 15 and 30 feet high. A longer journey from the sea would also have the added effect of reducing the intensity of the storm, as it would be robbed of warm water to fuel its winds.

Unless you've been in a submarine or hiking in the woods for the past week, it cannot have escaped your notice that Hurricane Katrina has devastated a large swath of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, in what may well be one of the greatest natural disasters to hit the US. Therefore, this week Science.Ars is going to take a look at hurricanes—what they are, what made this one so bad, and what the future may have in store.

Firstly, what do we mean by a hurricane? Well, it's the name given to a severe tropical storm with windspeeds above 73 mph that originated in either the North Atlantic or North Pacific Oceans. Strong cyclonic storms that ravage other parts of the world go by different names, such as typhoon. When a tropical storm is over a region of warm water (above 79ºF, or 26ºC), a column of warm moist air will rise up through the atmosphere and condense. This forms a chimney of warm, rising air that heats up as it increases speed. This is the engine that drives the hurricane, and creates the eye of the storm.

Hurricanes are measured on the Saffir-Sampson scale, ranging from Category 1 (up to 95 mph) to Category 5 (above 155 mph). When Katrina first made landfall in Miami on August 25, she was a Category 1 storm. The storm then veered south into the Gulf of Mexico, where high sea temperatures helped fuel the intensity of the storm. Windspeed as high as 175 mph were recorded, and Katrina moved northwest towards the Gulf coast, weakening slightly once landfall was made.

Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico (image courtesy of NASA)

Hurricanes have hit the US before, and the damage and loss of life hasn't been on this scale, so what has caused Katrina to be such a killer?

The answers, it seems, are multiple. Geography has a large part to play. New Orleans is a city below sea level. This, in itself might not be so bad. Death Valley is also below sea level, but then Death Valley is pretty far from the Pacific coast. New Orleans is also built on the Mississippi delta, where the largest river in North America meets the ocean. Over the past hundred years, dikes and levees have been constructed along the banks of the Mississippi to contain its annual flood. Ironic, then, that this flood defense strategy must bear responsibility for the damage to the city. As the Mississippi cannot flood, all the silt and sediment that washes down river from as far north as Minnesota ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, rather than on the lower Mississippi flood plain. There are several consequences to this. New Orleans continues to sink, as the sediment it is built on settles and is not replenished, the surrounding coastal wetlands and bayou are lost—on the order of 30-40 square miles a year. The sediment that does run off into the Gulf, laden with fertilizer and agricultural run off, creates algal blooms that deplete the oxygen from large areas of ocean, causing large dead zones where marine life is wiped out.

The last consequence is merely disastrous for the marine inhabitants, and the fishing communities, but the first two have a direct effect on the damage we're seeing on TV. Obviously, New Orleans' low-lying nature means that, unlike other areas that experience flooding, there is nowhere for the water to drain. But what about the bayou? Every three or four miles of wetland between the coast and New Orleans will absorb around a foot of storm surge. Given that the coast is now 40 miles closer to the city than it was 60 years ago, you can see the impact this has had. Katrina’s storm surge was between 15 and 30 feet high. A longer journey from the sea would also have the added effect of reducing the intensity of the storm, as it would be robbed of warm water to fuel its winds.

There have also been a lot of reports in the media, mainly abroad, of the role of climate change in this disaster. I know what you're all thinking here—I'm about to go off on a rant and blame SUV drivers and fossil fuels for this tragedy. For once I'm glad to say that I don’t believe it to be the case, and I'm not alone. Dr. Kerry Emanuel, a world-leading hurricane specialist at MIT works on this very problem, and published a paper in Nature recently on the increasing intensity of hurricanes. For every 1ºC rise in sea temperature, there will be a corresponding 5 percent increase in peak wind velocity. But that doesn’t mean that climate change caused Katrina:

If you look at the Atlantic, it's perfectly fair to say that both the increase in ocean temperature in the last couple of decades and the upswing in hurricane activity is mostly natural. If there's a global warming signal in that, it's very hard to see. And that natural cycle, we don't fully understand it, by the way, I don't think anyone pretends that we do, but there have been in history, you know, periods of 20 or 30 years of inactivity followed by 20 or 30 years of activity. It's nothing new, in fact. Before the 1990s, a lot of hurricane specialists had forecasts that we were going to go back to an active period in the Atlantic, and again, this has nothing to do with global warming.

Whereas it might be a problem in coming years, Katrina is just par for the course, unfortunately. The cyclical (as opposed to cyclonic) nature of hurricanes is also a contributing factor, in a roundabout way. The quiescent period in the 1970s and 1980s lulled people into a false sense of security. Population in the area boomed, meaning many more potential victims.

Dr. Emanuel's work bodes ill for the future, however, with predictions of storms with greater intensity fueled by rising sea temperatures. Whether New Orleans and the surrounding areas are still there to receive them is another question. A plan to restore the wetlands was proposed several years ago, but rejected due to the high cost (US$14 billion). With damage from Katrina likely to be an order of magnitude more than that, it seems like a it might be a good idea.

I will continue to revist this story as we learn more about the after effects of the flooding. Predictions of possible disease epidemics, including cholera, typhoid, dysentery and even West Nile, are being made, and there are bound to be severe environmental contamination from refineries, industrial plants and other sources. Finally, my thoughts go out to everyone affected by Katrina, the thousands who’ve lost their homes, livelihoods and even their lives to the ferocity of our planet.

Link to Reference: Associated Press, 12/29/05

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Highlights:
- The attraction lost 10,000 fish because of Katrina, but Midas the sea turtle is home and things are looking up.
- The aquarium has begun restocking and plans to reopen this summer, but it won't be easy. Finding the right fish to fill a million gallons of water not only takes time and money, but generosity and luck.
- But it will be difficult, maybe even impossible, to replace some losses - such as a 13-foot small-tooth sawfish called Mr. Bill, and a 250-pound goliath grouper, both on the endangered species list, along with nine sandtiger sharks, whose numbers have been dwindling because of commercial fishing. "Some of these collections have taken years to accumulate," Ripley says. "We had five species of freshwater stingray. We had dozens of breeding projects over the last 15 years. We had a jellyfish gallery 10 years in the making. All that's gone."


The attraction lost 10,000 fish because of Katrina, but Midas the sea turtle is home and things are looking up.
NEW ORLEANS - It's lunchtime and Elvira and Nick are having a quick bite, then it's back to an afternoon of swimming in their big glass house on the Mississippi River. Their midday routine has resumed at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, where the two 5-foot tarpons are once again sharing meals and a home with Midas, the 300-pound green sea turtle who returned after a six-week exile in Texas.

Slowly, this watery world is rebuilding from the staggering blow it suffered in Hurricane Katrina: Generator problems killed up to 10,000 fish, including some rare species nurtured over many years.

Like New Orleans itself, the aquarium is now on a long road back. And like the city, the revival will depend, in part, on hardy holdouts and returning evacuees, some still living far away - including Satchmo, Voodoo and 17 other penguins now cooling their heels in California.

While no one here equates the disaster at the aquarium to the epic human devastation left by Katrina, the animal losses are still heartbreaking to devoted workers who tend to these sea creatures each day.

"Not only is it sad because you know how much life is lost . . . you know you'll never be able to replace it like it was," says Lance Ripley, assistant curator of fish.

The aquarium has begun restocking and plans to reopen this summer, but it won't be easy. Finding the right fish to fill a million gallons of water not only takes time and money, but generosity and luck.

Hundreds of fish already have been donated by other aquariums. And expeditions are being planned to the Florida Keys, the Caribbean and other spots to collect more.

"There are no pet stores that sell 9-foot sharks," says John Hewitt, the aquarium's director of husbandry. "You've got to get them some other way. We're going to try and collect as many animals as we can."

But it will be difficult, maybe even impossible, to replace some losses - such as a 13-foot small-tooth sawfish called Mr. Bill, and a 250-pound goliath grouper, both on the endangered species list, along with nine sandtiger sharks, whose numbers have been dwindling because of commercial fishing. "Some of these collections have taken years to accumulate," Ripley says. "We had five species of freshwater stingray. We had dozens of breeding projects over the last 15 years. We had a jellyfish gallery 10 years in the making. All that's gone."

And there's no quick way to bring it back.

"You have to repopulate slowly," Hewitt says. "To capture a couple of sharks and move them across the country, you have to have holding spaces, isolation and quarantine areas . . . Catching them is the easier part. Getting them from here to there without mortal damage is what gets complicated."

Once they do arrive, fish can't simply be dropped in water. Some need time to warm up to captivity, the public - or each other.

But newcomers are taking the plunge.

The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga and the Underwater Adventures aquarium at the Mall of America in Minnesota donated catfish, shark pups, crappie and hundreds of small reef fish. A seafood restaurant in Hattiesburg, Miss., handed over a 2-foot shark that had outgrown its tank.

"Everyone says, "If we have it extra, it's yours,"' Ripley says.

Louisiana fishing clubs have offered help to the New Orleans aquarium, which also received an invitation from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago to use its 85-foot research ship, the Coral Reef II, for a collecting expedition in the Caribbean.

Repopulating the aquarium is important to the city's economy. It's a big tourist attraction, drawing 1.4-million visitors a year along with its adjoining IMAX theater. (Another popular spot, the zoo, lost just a few animals and reopened in November.)

The problems at the aquarium came after workers who had hunkered down in the building during the storm were told to evacuate as the looting edged nearer and floodwaters rose.

Ron Forman, president and chief executive officer of the Audubon Nature Institute, which operates the aquarium, ordered his staff out, fearing for their safety. He stayed behind, joined by several New Orleans police officers, who set up a command post.

The officers traded their dirty, wet uniforms for gift shop shorts, caps and T-shirts and hand-fed several animals.

Don Kinney, an officer who brought along his pet cockatoo, Yogi, scrounged around the aquarium's refrigerator and kitchen and found fish for the otters and penguins, red meat for the white alligator and frozen (but thawing) mice for the birds.

Toting a flashlight and a feeding bucket, Kinney was a welcome sight to the hungry holdouts.

"It gave me a good feeling in my heart knowing I was feeding animals and keeping them alive," says Kinney, who lost his own home in the floods and ended up bunking on an aquarium bench.

But no one could save thousands of fish after the generator clogged and couldn't produce enough electricity to run systems that add oxygen, rid the tanks of waste and keep the water cool.

"It was a total domino effect," Ripley says.

Cool, clear water turned hot, dirty and toxic. "Every day it got worse," Forman says.

When workers returned the weekend after the storm, they faced a grim scene: cloudy, bacteria-filled tanks littered with thousands of dead fish.

"It was incredibly difficult," Hewitt says. "It's like burying your children - and that's all I'm going to say about that."

Having worked at the aquarium its entire 15 years, Hewitt had a deep attachment to the creatures.

"I took many of them out of the wild," he says. "There's a great deal of responsibility that comes with that . . . to ensure that the animal has the best possible chance of a long, productive life."

Link to Reference: The impact of spiralling pollution on the planet poses a threat to civilisation just as catastrophic as much-vaunted weapons of mass destruction, Britain's top scientist warned., LONDON (AFP)

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Highlights:
- "The impacts of global warming are many and serious: sea-level rise ... changes in availability of fresh water ... and the increasing incidence of extreme events -- floods, droughts, and hurricanes -- the serious consequences of which are rising to levels which invite comparison with weapons of mass destruction,"
- agreeing to a pollution analysis calculating the potential costs of corrective action -- and the fallout if nothing was done
- The scientist pointed to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the US jazz capital of New Orleans in August, as an example of what could happen more often if politicians failed to tackle global warming.

The impact of spiralling pollution on the planet poses a threat to civilisation just as catastrophic as much-vaunted weapons of mass destruction, Britain's top scientist warned.

Robert May, president of the country's leading scientific body, the Royal Society, issued the warning as a 12-day conference was set to get underway Monday in Montreal to decide the fate of the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations' troubled treaty for curbing greenhouse gases.

"The impacts of global warming are many and serious: sea-level rise ... changes in availability of fresh water ... and the increasing incidence of extreme events -- floods, droughts, and hurricanes -- the serious consequences of which are rising to levels which invite comparison with weapons of mass destruction," May said in an advance copy of a speech released Monday to coincide with the start of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on the same day.

The Montreal meeting is the first by the convention since the UN's pollution-cutting Kyoto Protocol, signed by 156 countries, took effect on January 16.

But a notable non-signatory of the pact committing industrialised nations to reducing or offsetting emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases is the planet's heaviest polluter: the United States.

Observers are gloomy about the prospects of the Montreal round coming up with a post-2012 deal that satisfies the European Union, green groups, business and US President George W. Bush, who argues Kyoto penalises the oil-dependent US economy.

But May said the convention attended by up to 10,000 delegates from 180 countries could help by agreeing to a pollution analysis calculating the potential costs of corrective action -- and the fallout if nothing was done.

"The Montreal meeting could be constructive if there at least emerged agreement to initiate a study of target levels for atmospheric concentrations, as a basis for discussing appropriate plans of action," he said.

"We need countries to initiate a study into the consequences of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations at, below, or above twice pre-industrial levels, so that the international community can assess the potential costs of their actions or lack of them.

"Such an analysis could focus the minds of political leaders, currently worried more about the costs to them of acting now than they are by the consequences for the planet of acting too little, too late," May said.

The scientist pointed to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the US jazz capital of New Orleans in August, as an example of what could happen more often if politicians failed to tackle global warming.

Studies undertaken before the storm suggested rising sea temperatures would mean more severe hurricanes, May said.

"The estimated damage inflicted by Katrina is equivalent to 1.7 percent of US GDP this year, and it is conceivable that the Gulf Coast of the US could be effectively uninhabitable by the end of the century," he said.

May is set to deliver his last address of his five-year term as the head of the Royal Society on Wednesday.

Link to Reference: MIKE DUNNE, Advocate staff writer, 11/27/05

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Highlights:
- The 2005 season was only a week old when the first tropical depression formed in the Gulf of Mexico and began drifting north
- Before the season began, the National Hurricane Center predicted 12 to 15 tropical storms, seven to nine hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes with winds of more than 111 (Category 3).
- At that point in the season, there had already been more activity than ever before -- eight tropical storms and two hurricanes. Gray bumped his earlier prediction to 20 named storms, including 10 hurricanes -- six major ones. That's more than double the long-term average of 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year.
- To put this past season in a long-range perspective, one could consider that a Katrina-style storm would hit southeast Louisiana only once every 300 years, on average

When hurricane season 2005 ends Wednesday, Louisiana should be able to rest a little easier.
At least until June 1.

The 2005 season was only a week old when the first tropical depression formed in the Gulf of Mexico and began drifting north, eventually landing along the Alabama coast as Tropical Storm Arlene. That storm made all the predictions of a very active hurricane season look on target.

Life in Louisiana changed dramatically on Aug. 29, nearly three months ago this week, when Hurricane Katrina became the new standard for "bad hurricane." Step aside Audrey, Camille, Andrew. Katrina could be 10 times more costly than 1992's Andrew.

Hurricane Rita, nearly a month later, slammed into the western part of the state and would be considered with those other "big ones," except it, too, was dwarfed by Katrina's incredible destruction.

And who even remembers Tropical Storm Cindy running ashore at Grand Isle the first week of July?

Before the season began, the National Hurricane Center predicted 12 to 15 tropical storms, seven to nine hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes with winds of more than 111 (Category 3).

William Gray of Colorado State University, who makes hurricane predictions every year, forecast a 77 percent chance of a major storm hitting the United States in 2005 and a 44 percent chance for the Gulf Coast, from the Florida Panhandle to Brownsville, Texas. Normally, the chances of the United States being hit is 52 percent and the Gulf Coast is 30 percent, Gray said.

By early August, both Gray and the National Weather Service had raised their predictions.

The National Weather Service increased from 18 to 21 its prediction for tropical storms.

Gray said data gathered through July caused him to "foresee one of the most active hurricane seasons on record."

Katrina and Rita were yet to come.

At that point in the season, there had already been more activity than ever before -- eight tropical storms and two hurricanes. Gray bumped his earlier prediction to 20 named storms, including 10 hurricanes -- six major ones. That's more than double the long-term average of 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year.

Even that prediction fell short of reality.

Dodging the hurricane bullet

State climatologist Barry Keim said statistics indicate that any point on the north central Gulf Coast will be hit by a hurricane once every 10 years and by a severe hurricane once every 30 years. That means both New Orleans (Betsy in 1965) and southwest Louisiana (Audrey in 1956) were both overdue for a monster storm, said Keim of the Southern Regional Climate Center at LSU.

"In a statistical sense, they were both ripe. New Orleans has been dodging bullets," he said. "They went longer than the 30 years." The north central Gulf Coast is one of three statistical hot-spots – third behind south Florida and North Carolina, both of which stick out into the sea, Keim said.

To put this past season in a long-range perspective, one could consider that a Katrina-style storm would hit southeast Louisiana only once every 300 years, on average, according to LSU geography professor Kam-bui Lui. He specializes in paleotempstology, the study of storms through geologic history.

While this year may look like a wild one, Lui said, the geologic record shows that the last 1,000 years have been relatively quiet when it comes to catastrophic hurricanes in Categories 4 and 5.

Between 1,000 and 2,500 years ago, catastrophic hurricanes were more common, Lui said, based on sand cores he has pulled for spots on the Gulf Coast. He also is studying the Atlantic Coast and parts of the Caribbean Basin.

Scientists said the busy season is caused by a combination of factors.

First, the surface temperatures were warmer than normal in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Nan Walker of LSU's Coastal Studies Institute and EarthScan Lab said that water along the Louisiana shore and other near-shore waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico were as much as 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than in 2003.

The water was warmer sooner and August saw the hottest water in the Gulf of Mexico -- right before Katrina passed over them, Walker said. In 2005, that warm water was also deeper than normal, she said.

Water in the Atlantic was at least 1 degree Fahrenheit warmer than normal. That may not sound like a lot, but warm water fuels hurricanes, helping them grow bigger and more intense.

Pollution or variability?

The sea has been warmer each year since 1995 and many scientists think that is because of natural variability. Others see the signature of global climate change caused by industrial and automotive emissions.

Sea surface temperatures run in cycles, Keim said. From the late 1920s until the 1960s -- a period of almost 40 years -- temperatures were warmer than normal and there was more tropical storm formation.

From about 1965 until 1994, temperatures went down to what is considered normal and the intensity and frequency of tropical storms fell as well, he said.

"During that same time, we had a rapid expansion of development along our coasts."

Those warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures returned in 1994 and the trend is expected to last for decades.

Temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico also were above normal this season, which turbo-charged storms like Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Katrina, for example, formed near Bermuda and hit the eastern Florida Coast as a Category 1 hurricane.

After crossing the tip of Florida, it entered the Gulf of Mexico. It drifted slowly southwestward before taking a northern turn. That put it right over the warm Loop Current.

The Loop Current is a stream of warm water coming from the Caribbean Sea north through the pass between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba. It moves toward Louisiana then bends back like a bobby pin to flow out the Florida Straits, between Florida and Cuba. Occasionally, the top of the loop breaks off and becomes a "warm core ring," a pool of warmer-than-normal water drifting in the northern Gulf.

Katrina's slow movement over the loop current and then over a warm core ring grew it into a monster. At one point, winds were 175 miles per hour. "There aren't many storms that get up that high," Keim said.

Considering other factors

Judith Curry of Georgia Tech said the Atlantic Ocean current that brings warm water north affected weather systems between Iceland and Africa. That created an upper atmosphere that steered storms to the western Atlantic – into the Gulf of Mexico or along the eastern seaboard of the U.S.

The Pacific Ocean played a part, too, she said. When water is cooler or warmer than normal along the equator, weather patterns change -- called La Nina and El Nino, respectively, for the cool and warm phases.

The two phenomena can affect winds in the upper atmosphere. El Nino can slice off the tops of the thunderstorms that fuel a hurricane, reducing its ability to grow in intensity.

This year was a "neutral" year and last year's El Nino was not very strong. "Coming out of a weak El Nino makes storms more intense," Curry said. "That's conventional wisdom."

The predictors, however, are not perfect, she said.

"The bottom line is: There are no simple answers. There is no easy explanation and there are no certain answers," she said.

Phil Klotzbach assists Gray at Colorado State University in predicting hurricanes and tropical storms each year.

In 2004, a lot of storms formed in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean west of the Cape Verde Islands. That portion of the ocean had wind shear this year, so storms often didn't form until they were further west – helping steer them into the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

The Caribbean Sea, where many of the storms that hit the Gulf Coast formed, had low crosswinds or shear, Klotzbach said. "In the Caribbean, water was a little warmer than last year, but not a whole lot. It was warmer earlier."

He and Gray believe the increase is the result of the multidecade variation that Keim also talked about.

"Since 1995, we have had a lot of active seasons. These last few years they have been more active than others," he said.

"It is a pretty clear signal . . . coming and going on a 20-25 year cycle. So for the next 10-15 years, it will likely be pretty active," Klotzbach said.

So, if the multidecade signal is correct, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast can look for a near future with greater-than-normal tropical storm activity.

Colorado State will be releasing its 2006 projections Dec. 6. When asked what the next season might be like Klotzbach said, "We're still looking at our numbers."






mdunne@theadvocate.com

Link to Reference: DONALD LEE, Advocate columnist

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Highlights:
- There are trees and plants that can help clean up New Orleans and other areas hit hard by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
- called phytoremediation -- are really good at sucking up toxic materials from the ground by absorbing them through their roots.
- One of the major tasks is to restore the live oak trees that are affected by salt water intrusion.

There are trees and plants that can help clean up New Orleans and other areas hit hard by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And there's a man at Southern University who knows exactly what they are and is excited about what they can do.

Kamran K. Abdollahi, professor of urban forestry at Southern, said particular trees and plants -- part of a technology called phytoremediation -- are really good at sucking up toxic materials from the ground by absorbing them through their roots. And Abdollahi is optimistic that it won't be long before the trees and other forms of vegetation will be planted in neighborhoods where salt water and other contaminants have damaged the soil in the hurricanes' aftermath.

"This natural technology basically takes up the toxic materials that are in the soil in the impacted areas," said Abdollahi. "Toxic materials like heavy metals can be easily taken up by the roots of the plants, and there is actually a list of plants that can be used in the urban areas such as the city of New Orleans."

The plants include cottonwood trees and willow trees, mainly seen in ravine areas.

"These are considered pretty good phytoremediators," Abdollahi said. He said good phytoremediators include plants that accumulate a lot of toxic materials, such as heavy metals, in their stems, leaves and other parts.

In a Nov. 10 chancellor's address at a media breakfast on Southern's campus, Abdollahi said the Southern University Forestry Program, in collaboration with the NASA-University Center for Coastal Zone Assessment, has been promoting the environmental restoration plan.

Many native shrubs and trees can be used to clean up the toxic materials the hurricanes left behind.

One of the major tasks is to restore the live oak trees that are affected by salt water intrusion.

"To remediate those trees, we have to do some draining of the soils and try to make sure that the soil is continuously irrigated, and that would help remove some of the salt that is in the soil," he said.

"In addition to irrigating the soil," Adollahi said, "we also want to use mulch and soil amendments to restore the soil to minimize further damage to the live oaks."

Abdollahi said his program's goal is to try to convince local, state and federal officials and even residents of the affected areas to plant these trees.

"This would be a continuous cleaning of the environment," Abdollahi said. "The planting of these trees will provide continuous benefits to areas declared by the state inhabitable yet show signs of contamination that would not meet the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency."

The professor said he hopes to secure federal support for this project, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars during the time it takes the affected areas to be restored.

"We are utilizing Southern University's systemwide resources to keep the project going," he said. "In order for this to be a long-term, feasible project, we have to secure financial resources from our federal partners."

A couple of those federal partners are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

All the research that has been done is going toward developing a strategy to cope with many environmental problems facing urban communities.

"We do all of this in hope of having a better urban environment by having better air quality, more shade from trees and more pollution removal from the soil and water and to enhance the quality of life for the residents," he said.

"There are many areas in New Orleans where the contamination is marginal and it is feasible to use this phytoremediation technology," Abdollahi said.

Beyond research, Abdollahi and others involved in the project have done mappings of certain areas, traveling to sites in New Orleans and Gulfport, Miss., and measuring some pollutants in the soil.

The environmental restoration plan in urban areas would focus on one neighborhood block at a time.

"Some people estimate that the restoration would take five to 10 years," he said. "So we are hoping that federal partners would be assisting us so that we can sustain this level of commitment to the communities."



djlee@theadvocate.com

Link to site: Fire ants can be a serious problem after hurricanes — particular in flooded areas, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- When the waters rise, the fire ants are forced out of their underground nests and float in a mass on top of floodwaters,
- Even worse, once the flooding recedes, fire ants can be found almost anywhere
- the red imported fire ant, these ants and their colonies can present a potentially serious medical threat to people and animals during and after times of flooding,
- Floating fire ant colonies can look like ribbons, a mat or an actual “ball” of ants floating on the water, according to the experts, who say these writhing masses of ants contain the entire colony, worker ants, eggs, larvae, pupae, winged males and females and queen ants.

Tom Merrill, Delta Farm Press, Oct 31, 2005
BATON ROUGE, La. — Fire ants can be a serious problem after hurricanes — particular in flooded areas, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.

“When the waters rise, the fire ants are forced out of their underground nests and float in a mass on top of floodwaters,” said LSU AgCenter entomology associate Patricia Beckley. “For example, we saw that firsthand recently when people were unable to leave the New Orleans Superdome (after Hurricane Katrina) because of the masses of floating fire ants.”

Even worse, once the flooding recedes, fire ants can be found almost anywhere — including inside your home or in debris piles — so extra precautions should be taken, LSU AgCenter experts say.

“In all areas of Louisiana infested with the red imported fire ant, these ants and their colonies can present a potentially serious medical threat to people and animals during and after times of flooding,” said LSU AgCenter entomologist Dale Pollet, adding, “Floodwaters will not drown fire ants. Instead, their colonies will actually emerge from the soil, form a loose ball, float and flow with the water until they reach a dry area or object that they can crawl up on.”

Floating fire ant colonies can look like ribbons, a mat or an actual “ball” of ants floating on the water, according to the experts, who say these writhing masses of ants contain the entire colony — worker ants, eggs, larvae, pupae, winged males and females and queen ants.

As the floodwaters recede, these floating fire ant colonies will cling to any structure that they come in contact with and are attracted to anything that might give them shelter until a mound can be re-established in the soil, Pollet and Beckley explain.

“This means debris piles from the floodwaters or piles of items from flooded homes are potential nesting sites for fire ants,” Beckley said. “So you need to be cautious and be aware that fire ants can be under anything.”

The LSU AgCenter experts also offer these tips on avoiding fire ant bites when cleaning up after flooding:

• When debris is picked up, pay attention to what is on, under or in it, especially if the debris has been sitting in one area for several days.

• Keep in mind that fire ants love to get under furniture, carpet strips and old wood to re-establish their colony.

• If using shovels or other tools, spread talcum or baby powder on the handle. Fire ants cannot climb onto vertical surfaces dusted with talcum powder unless the surface gets wet or the powder is rubbed off.

• If fire ants are seen in a pile of debris that must be handled, use a shovel or other tool to avoid ant contact, or consider treating the pile with a fast-acting household or lawn and garden insecticide.

Recommendations on treating for fire ants after a storm differ from the usual ones that call for the use of baits that are carried back to the colony and eventually kill it.

“At the time of flooding or right after flooding, general preventive treatments for controlling the fire ants are out of the question,” Pollet said. “Ant colonies or ants encountered now need to be dealt with quickly.”

The experts say aerosol spray products containing pyrethrins or pyrethrum derivatives (tetramethrin or allethrin) or Bengal’s Deltramethrin dust labeled for use on “ants” or “crawling insects” can yield a quick knockdown of the insects and will break down quickly.

“Spray or dust as many of the ants as possible,” Pollet advised, cautioning, however, to avoid waterways, since pyrethroids can be quite toxic to fish and crustaceans. “Just spray or dust surfaces, cracks of infested objects and debris. Then return after the treatment has had time to work.”

Although much of the flooding the state has seen this year has receded, the LSU AgCenter experts point out that ants are particularly dangerous during flooding.

They say to avoid floating mats of fire ants during a flood and to be careful not to let ants come into contact with oars if you are in a boat, since that would allow ants to cling to the oars and move into your boat. They also say to wear protective clothing, such as rubber boots, rain gear and cuffed gloves, that can help prevent ants from reaching your skin when working in floodwater.

“While ants are ‘rafting’ (floating in water), they will inject more than two times as much venom,” Beckley cautions. “Remember, if ants contact the skin they will sting.

“You should try to remove any ants that get on you by immediately rubbing them off. But ants can cling to the skin if submerged and even a high-pressure water spray may not dislodge them.”

For more information on fire ants and a variety of other topics related to storm cleanup and recovery, visit www.lsuagcenter.com.

Tom Merrill is News Editor for LSU AgCenter Communications. (225–578–5896 or tmerrill@agcenter.lsu.edu)

Link to site: Down the bayou, fifth-grade students from Little Caillou Elementary were busy testing water from Bayou Little Caillou to check that waterway’s quality.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- students also were taking part in World Water Monitoring Day, an annual event designed to signify the importance of becoming involved with water conservation on a local, national and international scale.
- Currently six schools participate in LUMCON’s Bayouside Classroom. The others are South Terrebonne High, Caldwell Middle, Evergreen Junior High and Montegut Middle. All the students, except for those who attend Little Caillou Elementary, are in honors-level science classes. Those students who participate in the curriculum are rewarded with a field trip to LUMCON’s Cocodrie facility during the school year.
- The Bayouside Classroom curriculum requires students to check water quality in their area once a month and record what they observe. The data students collected Thursday included the water’s pH balance, temperature and the amounts of dissolved oxygen and salt. The information will be entered into a Web-site database, which is used by LUMCON scientists as a teaching resource.

MIKA EDWARDS, The Courier, 10/14/05
HOUMA -- With gloves on her hands and goggles over her eyes, 12-year-old Laura Harrington tried to determine the amount of oxygen in the sample of water she scooped from Bayou Terrebonne.

"I think it’s really cool because you get to get out of class and test water pollution," the seventh-grader from Houma Junior High said.

Down the bayou, fifth-grade students from Little Caillou Elementary were busy testing water from Bayou Little Caillou to check that waterway’s quality.

Student Nikki LeBeouf was busy measuring the clarity of the bayou that sits directly across the street from her school.

"I wish we could do this every day," she said. "It’s cool."

Harrington, LeBeouf and their fellow students converged on the two bayous Thursday to put their science lessons to use.

The students participated in Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium’s Bayouside Classroom, a yearlong research-based outdoor curriculum in which students have the chance to study the estuaries and watersheds outside their front doors.

The students also were taking part in World Water Monitoring Day, an annual event designed to signify the importance of becoming involved with water conservation on a local, national and international scale.

Findings from the students’ samples will be posted on LUMCON’s Web site and be used by real scientists monitoring environmental water quality around Terrebonne Parish.

"They don’t get to just see what scientists do, but they are scientists," said Chris Finelli, associate professor at LUMCON.

World Water Monitoring Day, which is Tuesday, began in 2002. This year organizers expect 64 countries to participate by checking the quality of their water in an effort to help aid research and contribute to a global water-quality database.

In an effort to help celebrate the upcoming event, students studying the outdoors were joined by Roberta Savage, executive director of America’s Clean Water Foundation, and Karen Gautreaux, deputy secretary of the state Department of Environmental Quality.

In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the two officials wanted to visit Terrebonne Parish where waterways abound.

"We decided to come down here because this place relies on the water," Gautreaux said. "This is an area that saw some impact, and we thought it would be good to draw attention to this activity."

Savage, who traveled from Washington D.C., said he was impressed by how seriously local school administrators take water-quality education.

"The fact that the principals in the area have been willing to go forward with this in the face of everything is phenomenal," she said.

Currently six schools participate in LUMCON’s Bayouside Classroom. The others are South Terrebonne High, Caldwell Middle, Evergreen Junior High and Montegut Middle. All the students, except for those who attend Little Caillou Elementary, are in honors-level science classes. Those students who participate in the curriculum are rewarded with a field trip to LUMCON’s Cocodrie facility during the school year.

"We knew it was not physically possible to bus all of the students in the parish to LUMCON. There are just not enough days," said Paul Johnson, Terrebonne’s science-curriculum specialist.

The Bayouside Classroom curriculum requires students to check water quality in their area once a month and record what they observe. The data students collected Thursday included the water’s pH balance, temperature and the amounts of dissolved oxygen and salt. The information will be entered into a Web-site database, which is used by LUMCON scientists as a teaching resource.

Simonne Lanigan, a fifth-grade teacher at Little Caillou Elementary, has been participating in Bayouside Classroom since the program’s inception five years ago.

"It’s awesome. The kids love it," she said. "It’s great for them to do hands-on science. This affects them and their lives."

David Fox, a marine educator with LUMCON, was impressed with the students’ enthusiasm and their eagerness to understand the importance of water quality.

"They were overwhelmingly excited," he said. "I think they understand better than any other kids in the state what this is about."

Courier staff writer Mika Edwards can be reached at 857-2202 or mika.edwards@houmatoday.com.

Link to site: Selling bottled water alongside pricey cups of coffee, well, you can probably stop wondering.

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- $0.05 will be donated toward Starbucks' goal of contributing $10 million over the next five years to help alleviate the world water crisis.
- the company is offering nickels when you could give dollars instead -- if you got your water from home. As long as you close your eyes to the staggering environmental costs of America's growing obsession with bottled water.
- Over the past 10 years, the brand barons have made bottled water a lifestyle statement and a fashion accessory
- consider kicking the bottled water habit. Get a safe, reusable container and start filling it at home. You may even want to redirect the money you'll save to good causes. Like helping to bring clean water to developing countries.

JAMES PROTZMAN, Chapel Hill News
When a slick new company arrives on the scene with lofty promises of social responsibility, you have to wonder whether there might be a catch. But when that company is in the business of selling bottled water alongside pricey cups of coffee, well, you can probably stop wondering.

As a world-peace kind of guy, I admit I was drawn in by their pitch: "By purchasing Ethos(TM) Water, customers can join a growing community of individuals who are committed to make a difference. For each bottle purchased, $0.05 will be donated toward Starbucks' goal of contributing $10 million over the next five years to help alleviate the world water crisis."

See what I mean? It sounds pretty good, doesn't it? As long as you don't really stop to think. As long as you ignore the fact that the company is offering nickels when you could give dollars instead -- if you got your water from home. As long as you close your eyes to the staggering environmental costs of America's growing obsession with bottled water.

Sure, bottled water can have real value. Just look at the aftermath of Katrina. Or in communities where drinking water is contaminated by chemical pollutants or bacteria. But those situations come nowhere near explaining how bottled water has developed into a $10 billion craze in the United States alone.

The sad fact is, we've been seduced into wanting one more thing we don't need, through aggressive advertising by consumer products companies. Over the past 10 years, the brand barons have made bottled water a lifestyle statement and a fashion accessory, rivaling Nikes and iPods. Why else would anyone pay a thousand times more for a product that can be purchased at home simply by turning on the faucet?

Here in Orange County, nearly 16 million plastic water bottles will be dumped into our landfill this year, despite one of the most effective recycling programs in the nation. That's a million pounds of buried plastic that will last for hundreds of years, shortening the life of our landfill with each and every bottle we dump. And that's just the tip of the environmental iceberg. Don't forget the enormous amount of energy required to produce plastic bottles, which are themselves made from oil and natural gas.

We are blessed in Orange County to have delicious public water delivered by a well-managed organization called OWASA. The water piped into your home is tested more thoroughly and consistently than virtually any bottled water you can buy. And it tastes great. I've done my own taste tests and found I can't tell the difference between OWASA tap water and the bottled water sold in grocery stores. Try it yourself and see.

And once you do, consider kicking the bottled water habit. Get a safe, reusable container and start filling it at home. You may even want to redirect the money you'll save to good causes. Like helping to bring clean water to developing countries.
When future generations look back on the 21st century in America, they will find much to fault. From the disastrous Bush dynasty to our criminal negligence around public health and safety, we are a people who often place looking good and celebrity over common good and equity. And like cigarettes and SUVs, the business of bottled water will be revealed for what it really is -- a marketing scam.

Link to site: Assists small communities by providing training and training-related information and referral services in the areas of wastewater, drinking water, and solid waste

Return to: watercenter.org sciencefaircenter.com watercenter.net

Highlights:
- offers numerous free and low-cost products to help individuals and communities learn
- When requesting these materials, please give the product number listed before each item.


NETCSC Assists small communities by providing training and training-related information and referral services in the areas of wastewater, drinking water, and solid waste

NESC Offers Flood, Disaster Related Products
In light of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of coastal areas of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, restoring clean drinking water to the many destroyed small communities is a job almost beyond comprehension. Although less horrendous, much of the inland areas of these states and others have also been affected by flooding. Individuals and communities will likely be faced with correcting the subsequent contamination of private as well as public water supples. It is also imperative that individuals with contaminated private wells and springs contact their local health departments for more information and assistance.

To aid in this effort, the National Environmental Services Center offers numerous free and low-cost products to help individuals and communities learn more about emergency preparedness, emergency response, and potential health effects of water contamination. When requesting these materials, please give the product number listed before each item.

Free from the National Drinking Water Clearinghouse:
DWFSPE57—Emergency Disinfection of Water Supplies
DWBLOM05—Shock Chlorination of Wells and Springs
DWFSPE204—Water for Emergency Use
DWBLMG69—Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning and
responding to drinking water contamination
threats and incidents
DWPKOM59—Emergency Response Planning Pack (ERPP)
DWBLPE58—Water Testing
DWBLPE97—Water Testing Scams
DWFSPE140—Bacteriological Contamination of Drinking Water
DWBLPE183—Mycrobacteria: Drinking Water Fact Sheet
DWBLPE112—Interpreting Drinking Water Quality Analysis:
What do the numbers mean?
DWCDMG64—Emergency Response Tabletop Exercises for
Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems

From the National Small Flows Clearinghouse:
SFPLNL30—How to keep your Water “well” $0.40
SFPLNL06—Wastewater treatment protects small
community life, health $0.40
GNBKGN12—Community-based environmental protection—
A Resource Book for Protecting Ecosystems and Communities (Book on CD-Rom) $10.00
SFPLNL11—Basic wastewater characteristics $0.40

From the National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities:
TRBLGN25—Emergency Response Planning Resources for
Small Water and Wastewater Utilities $2.55
TRBLGN26—Emergency Response Plan Guidance for Small
and Medium Community Systems $8.00
TRPMCD62—Due Diligence—Small Water System Security $32.00
TRPMCD56—Preparing for the Unexpected: Security for
Small Water Systems $39.80
TRBKMG03—Protecting Your Community’s Assets: A Guide
for Small Wastewater Systems $15.00
TRCDMG05—(CD-Rom Version) $10.00

To order any of these publication, please contact NESC at (800) 624-8301, e-mail info@mail.nesc.wvu.edu, or fax to (304) 293-3161. If you have questions, our technical staff is available to help you with your water and wastewater needs.

Link to site: Flooded houses may be tough to save

Return to: watercenter.org

By Adam Shell, USA TODAY
Houses burn down all the time. Losing a home to water is far less common. Yet in New Orleans, countless homes are in a race against the clock to avoid extinction from a ruthless enemy: floodwaters summoned by Hurricane Katrina.

The prognosis for many houses, which have been buried in water as high as 10 feet for as many as 10 days, is not good, structural engineers say. The longer houses are under water and the higher the water rises, the more damage they suffer, and the harder it is to save them from the wrecking ball.

"I'll be surprised if any of the houses submerged to the ceiling will be able to be salvaged," says Jim Wiethorn of Haag Engineering.

The severe flooding in the Big Easy and other Gulf Coast towns caused by the worst natural disaster in U.S. history makes the run-of-the-mill "flooded basement" seem like a spilled glass of water.

The depth of the water, the length of time it has stood stagnant and the toxic brew of contaminants in the floodwater considerably lowers the odds of survival for wood-framed homes.

Water attacks and compromises the integrity of every part of a house, including the wood foundation pilings, structural beams, carpets, wood floors, cabinetry, mechanical systems, utilities and wallboard. The density of water enables it to pack a destructive punch. Water moving at 10 miles an hour exerts the same pressure as wind gusts of 270 miles per hour, Wiethorn says.

Most damage to homes is sustained in the first four feet of flooding above the first floor, adds Larry Buss of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

Buss notes that floods that rise and recede quickly cause less damage than water that sits for long periods: "In a normal flood, you can replace the carpets and drywall, dry things out, and the rest of the structure is likely to be OK."

Not so with floodwaters that fill homes for weeks. It makes it tougher to salvage anything. "Interiors are going to be ruined," says Barry LePatner, a New York-based construction law attorney.

An economic decision must be made, says Christopher Jones, a coastal engineer from Durham, N.C., who specializes in storm-damage assessments. "Is it easier to knock the house down and start over or repair what you've got?"

In the most serious Katrina-related cases, engineers say starting from scratch likely will make more sense.

Consider wallboard. Once it gets wet, mold growth is almost guaranteed, unless it is quickly and thoroughly dried, which is unlikely in the abandoned city. United States Gypsum, which makes wallboard, says on its Web site that if gypsum board has gotten wet "continuously for 24 hours or intermittently for many days or weeks," the best way to guard against mold is to "replace the affected areas." The same goes for waterlogged insulation, hidden by walls.

Rugs, soaked and tainted by putrid floodwater, must be ripped out. Mechanical systems, such as heating and air-conditioning units, will likely need to be replaced. Appliances soaked by contaminated water could pose health hazards. Damaged electrical outlets must be replaced to avoid fire hazards. Wood floors might buckle. Other wood materials might warp, and if they are wet to the core, might be difficult to dry out.

That means "you're down to the studs," says Robert Frosch, civil engineering professor at Purdue University.

Structural damage is also a big concern, says Glenn Bell, CEO of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, an engineering consulting firm in Boston. The foundation pilings, which resemble telephone-poles and are driven at least 10 feet into the ground, can be compromised by weakened soil caused by the effects of water, especially if they were in poor condition to begin with. Water and mud pushing against the side walls of the foundation can also weaken the structure. In a worst case, "the structure can separate from the foundation," or collapse Bell says.

Perhaps the biggest reason many homes in New Orleans will likely be bulldozed is because they will stay wet for too long and pose future health hazards.

Says Jones: "My best assessment is that you won't be able to dry out these homes, which means they will have to tear them down."

Link to site: Lehigh University Experts Available

Return to: watercenter.org

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Sept. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- Lehigh University offers the following experts to comment on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. To reach any of the experts listed below, please contact Dina Silver at dis204@lehigh.edu, 610-758-6656 or by cell at 610-721-1850; or Linda Harbrecht at lmh2@lehigh.edu, 610-758-4838 or by cell at 610-217-0068.

       -"Toxic water: tips and long-term solutions." Arup SenGupta, professor of civil and environmental engineering, has invented a filtration system that is being used to remove arsenic from contaminated water wells in 130 villages in India. SenGupta says people can take simple steps to prevent illness and death if they are exposed to or forced to drink contaminated water such as water from Katrina. These steps include using iodine tablets to kill waterborne bacteria and viruses; using cloth, especially cotton, to filter water; and boiling water before drinking. The long-term fix for New Orleans' contaminated water is not complicated, SenGupta says, but purification cannot commence until pumping is completed.

       - "Hurricanes and global warming." Dork Sahagian, professor of earth and environmental sciences and director of the Environmental Initiative at Lehigh, can discuss global warming and its continuing impact on weather patterns, including more severe and destructive weather conditions.

       - "Draining the bowl." Charles Smith, professor of mechanical engineering at Lehigh University, can discuss the size and pumping capacity of modern pumps and the rate at which water would need to be pumped out of the New Orleans "bowl" and what external factors play a role in that rate.

       - "A social disaster: race, class and the impact on children in the aftermath of Katrina." Heather Johnson, assistant professor of sociology, can discuss structural inequality, and issues of race and class and how they played out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She can also discuss the potential impact this disaster can have on children.

       - "The unraveling of the social network/Government's role in protecting citizens." Edward P. Morgan, professor of political science, can discuss the changing concept of government and the social fallout from a move toward the concept of privatization.

       - "The Media and Katrina." Jack Lule, professor of journalism and author of the critically acclaimed "Daily News, Eternal Stories," can discuss media coverage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, including the role the media played in portraying the plight of the hurricane victims and renewed embrace of their watchdog role.

       - "Impact on infrastructure, supply chain and gas/oil prices." Robert J. Trent, associate professor of management at Lehigh University, can discuss infrastructure and supply chain challenges, the economic impact of major disasters, and the potential short- and long-term impact on gas and oil prices.

Link to site: Muck from flood

Return to: watercenter.org

By LEE BOWMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
September 07, 2005

- As the floodwaters are gradually pumped out of New Orleans, much of the mixture of waste and chemicals suspended in them will be left behind either in sensitive wetlands or in the soil of the city itself, raising new health and environmental concerns.

Failures to levees after Hurricane Katrina's assault left about 80 percent of the city flooded with water up to 20 feet deep, water that quickly became fouled with chemicals, pesticides, oil, garbage, human waste and human and animal remains.

Bacterial activity in the water was so high that researchers from Louisiana State University found virtually no oxygen left in samples they took around the city last weekend.

State environmental officials say that more than 500 sewage-treatment plants were knocked out by the storm. The flood submerged more than 6,000 facilities with underground fuel storage tanks, some 160,000 homes and tens of thousands of vehicles.

"Just think that every household has a certain amount of Mr. Yuk stuff stashed under the kitchen sink or in the garage, and all that material is presumably mixed into the water to some extent," said Thomas Miller, a water-quality specialist at the University of Maryland who studies contamination problems after floods and other disasters.

"Either all that material is going to be pumped out with the water into Lake Pontchartrain, or it's going to settle into the muck, the silt that's left behind everywhere after a flood," Miller said.

Mike McDaniel, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, told reporters that sampling of the water is ongoing, and that there appear to be large numbers of contaminants, but officials feel there is no choice but to pump the floodwater into the lake and the Mississippi River. "We have to get the water out of the city or the nightmare gets worse," he said.

Lake Pontchartrain, the second-largest saltwater lake in the United States behind the Great Salt Lake in Utah, drains through narrow straits that lead into the Gulf of Mexico.

While environmental advocates expect the southern end of the lake will sustain some damage, no one can foretell how much or for how long. "The wonderful thing about nature is its resilience," McDaniel said.

Miller agreed that "nature is pretty good about self-recovery, but a lot depends on what man does to hinder or assist in that recovery. The nice thing about wetlands is that they can cleanse and filter water as it moves through, but too much contamination can overwhelm this natural filtering system and destroy it."

Within the city, officials for days have been warning everyone to stay out of the filthy water, but thousands of residents still wade or float through the streets. Anyone who ingests any of the stuff, or has open sores or wounds that get wet, risks illness or infection, and hundreds have been treated for festering wounds and skin rashes.

Disease experts say the biggest microbial-related health threats from the water are common staph and strep infections, particularly strains that are resistant to many antibiotics.

Exotic diseases like cholera or typhus are not considered a threat, because they're not present in the population. "In the city of New Orleans, cholera has not been present for years," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And despite the psychological impact, public health experts said the submerged bodies of storm victims don't pose a disease threat, either. Most viruses and bacteria that cause disease can't survive more than a few hours in a dead body, and while recovery workers do need to decontaminate them before they're prepared for burial, studies show that the bacteria involved in decomposition don't cause serious diseases.

"Survivors are much more likely to be a source of disease outbreaks," said Jean-Luc Poncelet, head of emergency preparedness and disaster relief for the Pan American Health Organization.

Lingering floodwater may eventually increase the risk for mosquito-borne illnesses in the region, too, health officials said. But historically, extreme weather actually washes out populations of the pests for a few weeks, but then new generations begin to hatch, so spraying is high on the agenda for public health workers in the next month.

Less clear is how the lingering sludge from the flooding will be handled. Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, head of the Army Corps of Engineers, told reporters that "we will look for hot spots as we draw the water down, and if we get an area that is particularly toxic, we will try to control that instead of dumping it back into the lake."

Still, contaminated mud inches and perhaps several feet deep will be one of Katrina's longest-lasting legacies in the city. What's not removed promptly will move into storm drains every time it rains, or raise the risk of respiratory illness as it dries out on walls and floors of buildings.

"With the soil so saturated down in the bowl, you have to wonder how long it might take to really dry things out and clean up enough to start any rebuilding," Maryland's Miller said.

On the Net: http://www.cdc.gov

Epa.gov