Cusp Anastasia, eve of Final Full Moon Rise, 2020. Photos JTL
Is it a moonscape? Perhaps a foreign land? Another planet? No, these sunset-moonrise pictures are of the backbone of the the Atlantic Ridge, also known as the Anastasia Formation. This ancient coral rock lines much of Florida’s east coast and is dramatically revealed along the ocean shoreline of south Hutchinson Island, Martin County, Florida.
The photos are taken with an iPhone and untouched. During the golden-hour the rock reveals a warm, rich palate absorbing and reflecting the ocean and sky’s stunning sun and moonlight.
Although these photographs were taken on the eve of the full moon, December, 28, tonight may be even more beautiful as the last full moon of 2020 will rise this evening, December 29, 2020.
It is said that “Anastasia” is a Greek name with roots in the word “resurrection.” For me, especially with a year like 2020, I am thankful for the beauty of Nature that gives opportunity to be reborn.
This past Saturday, July 25, 2020, my husband, Ed, flew across the state to Ft Meyers to visit pilot and fellow River Warrior, Dave Stone. Along for the ride were two other friends, Scott Kuhns and Don Page.
Before the men flew off, I asked the question, like a tape-recorded message: “Could you please take some photos of the algae in Lake Okeechobee?”
“Sure,” Ed replied. “But we’re just going straight across.”
The afternoon went by, and when Ed returned home, my first question was, “Did you see any algae?”
“No,” he answered. “Didn’t you look at the photos I shared?”
I looked at my phone and clicked on the 52 photos. “No visible algae in Lake Okeechobee? Really hunny?
…Where did you guys fly?”
Ed took a long breath. “I told you Jacqui- straight across.”
“What was your altitude?” I shot out.
“About 2000 feet; why are you asking?” Ed looked at me with wide eyes.
“Were you talking to Scott and Don so much that you didn’t really look?” I inquired.
Ed looked me straight in the eye: “Jacqui, we were ALL looking. I told you, there was none, zero, nada.”
“Hmm.” I mused. “Why then aren’t there any photos of the central or west side of the lake?”
“Because there wasn’t any algae!” His final reply.
So today, I share Ed’s photos.
They highlight Port Mayaca at Lake Okeechobee, C-44 Canal, St Lucie Inlet, Hutchinson Island (with a lot of seaweed), Sailfish Flats (seagrass kind of coming back), and Sewall’s Point (with very little seagrass around Bird Island.) Nonetheless, you’ll see that the water itself looks better all around.
And the algae?
It is wonderful that Ed and his friends saw no visible algae.” Really great.
“Visible” though is the key word here. Cyanobacteria is known for its ability to move up and down in the water column. Sunlight is key. My brother Todd’s website eyeonlakeo reveals daily pass satellites Terra, Aqua -there was heavy cloud cover over Lake Okeechobee parts of Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
In 2016, the year the lake was 90% covered in algae, Dr Edward Philips of the University of Florida Dept. of Fisheries and Aquatic Science was quoted in an Okeechobee publication. I thought it explained all so well, I wrote it down:
“Cyanobacteria have gas vesicles which act as buoyancy control devices. The vesicles can be expanded and filled with gas, causing the cyanobacteria to float on the surface, or deflated, which causes the cyanobacteria to descend into the water column. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on.”
No Visible Algae in LakeO? Really Hunny?
Ed and I will back up in the air again soon! 🙂
~Your Eye in the Sky,
Jacqui and Ed
Port Mayaca at Lake Okeechobee
C-44 Canal and S-80. Now closed.
St Luice Inlet and Hutchinson Island
Sailfish Flats between Hutchison Island and Sewall’s Point.
Keeping up the Lake Okeechobee algae bloom documentation, Ed and I flew from Stuart to Lake Okeechobee during a hazy, hot high-noon, on Sunday, July 5, 2020. The algae was much toned down from our previous flights in June. Nonetheless, one could see the pattern, the outline, of the giant bloom from above. Rain may have disrupted its perk but the bloom remains in the water column. The most visual appeared to be in the middle of the lake and again, about a mile or so off Port Mayaca.
I have included photographs of the journey: St Lucie River at Palm City; flying over western lands and under construction C-44 Reservoir/STA ; FPL cooling pond; algae in Lake O; Clewiston; south rim of lake with agriculture and sugar fields; Indiantown and Hwy. 710; DuPuis and Corbett Wildlife Areas; one glance back to Lake Okeechobee; and an updated 2020 “Covid-19 portrait” of Ed and me.
We will continue to document throughout the summer. Keep up the fight! Stop the Discharges! Stop the Algae!
~Your eye in the sky
Jacqui & Ed
St Lucie River at Palm CityWestern lands and C-44 Reservoir/STA under construction-5 STA cells filledFPL cooling pond and edge of LOAlgae in LO off Port MayacaCloser to center of LO
ClewistonSouthern shoreline and agriculture fields, mostly sugarcaneSoutheastern shorelinePort Mayaca, DuPuis, Corbett Wildlife Management Area-dark green
This shot, below, was taken flying back east over the Village of Indiantown. Highway 710 is seen bisecting neighboring Dupuis and Corbett Wildlife Area and John and Mariana Jones Hungryland Wildlife Area. I will be writing more about the protected areas and the highway that cuts through them in the future.
“Hey get rid of that plastic water bottle would ya? 100 degrees or not!” Jacqui & Ed 2020
Documenting St Lucie River and Lake Okeechobee, Saturday, June 13, 2020
Today’s post includes two sets of photos taken from two different planes: the Supercub and the Baron. The Supercub is the classic yellow “River Warrior” open-air plane, and the Baron is a closed cockpit twin-engine with the distinctive upturned wing-tip. The Supercub can fly low and slow, the Baron can fly higher and faster. Both offer unique perspectives to photograph our waterways.
I.
Dr. Scott Kuhns and Steve Schimming shared photos taken from the Supercub in the morning hours of Saturday, 6-13-20. Scott uses a quality Nikon camera thus his photos offer a wider or closer perspective. Thank you Scott and Steve, long time River Warriors and friends. Their photos reveal the coffee color of the St Lucie following torrential rains.
Canal systems dumping fresh water into SLR presently is primarily from C-23 and C-24. Good for the S.L. the SFWMD is advocating and the ACOE is allowing the water in the C-44 to run back into L.O. as lake was not in “ecological envelope.”Note: presently there are no discharges from LO into the SLR. ~Image SFWMD
St Lucie Inlet
Confluence SLR/IRLLooking southt to St Lucie Inlet and Jupiter NarrowsSeagrasses looking bleak
SandbarSandbarSandbarBird Island IRLPhotos Dr Scott Kuhns: Sewall’s Point
II.
This next set of aerials was taken by my husband, Ed Lippisch, and myself the same day, 6-13-20, a few hours later, closer to noon. Again, it is important to note the St Lucie area recently experienced particularly heavy rains, only Broward County and parts of Miami- Dade had more. So we can learn about this, I am sharing the most recent Water Conditions Report of the SFWMD for details of all the St Lucie and all south and central Florida. See link under Rainfall Distribution Comparison slide below.
The first group of photos from Ed and I in the Baron is of the St Lucie River and the second set is of algae blooms in Lake Okeechobee. NOTE THE ACOE IS NOT DISCHARGING INTO THE ST LUCIE AT THIS TIME.
We continue to document and thank all who are working towards projects and ways of life that better water quality in the state of Florida. We know what we need to do!
Sailfish Flats IRLExiting St Lucie Inlet looking south along Jupiter Narrows/Jupiter IslandPlume becoming visibleLooking back again into southern edge of SL Inlet
Now back at the St Lucie River and St Lucie Inlet at higher altitudeSt Lucie River/Indian River LagoonSailfish Point St Lucie River/Indian River LagoonPlume from higher perspectiveVeteran’s Bridge in Palm City looking back to Stuart, note Witham Field and ocean in distanceCircling around- Hobe Sound looking north to St Lucie Inlet.Heading west over Atlantic Ridge natural areaApproaching Lake O. FPL cooling pond visible.S-308 at L.O. and C-44 CanalMy brother Todd Thurlow’s website shows that algae in L.O. is now showing on low resolution satellite imagery: Terra, Aqua, Suomi: http://eyeonlakeo.com/LakeO3x7days.html; http://eyeonlakeo.comalgae bloom southern rimalgae bloom like this was basically throughout southern area of lake, but denser in some areas and not so dense in others….Ed’s palne GPS, present location south L.O.South Lake O over southern rimLakeO lapping towards Port Mayaca not FPL cooling pond, this area is by far the most algae ridden
Lake OLake OLake OLots of algae in Lake Okeechobee
MOVIE:
Now after flying west again over Lake Okeechobee algae here as well but more spread out
On April 27th, 2020 Ed and flew over the St Lucie River-Indian River Lagoon to get a special photo for our friend Mr Billy Escue. Some of the photos came out very well. So I wanted to share these recent photos and I think it is interesting to compare the images to where they fall within “The Total Daily Inflow Into the St Lucie Estuary” chart from the A.C.O.E. Periodic_Scientists_Call_2020-05-05
Take a look at the graphic. What was running off as inflow those days? Mostly “tidal basin,” the area shown in a cream color. Take note of what was not discharging too.
If you live in Martin County, you may have experienced a short lived violent storm this past Sunday, April 26th, 2020. In south Sewall’s Point, early afternoon, the winds exploded in a crash of falling branches, rain, thunder, and hail! Under the deafening sound of our metal roof, Ed and I stood on the porch in amazement, looked at each other and said, “well at least it’s raining,” as presently drought conditions cover much of the state.
The following day, Ed took wing taking these aerial photographs. They are a good example of “local runoff.” No Lake Okeechobee thankfully! Lake O too though looked beautiful after the storm as displayed at the end of this aerial series. Somehow, it always seems most beautiful after the storm…
L-R: ST LUCIE RIVER, SEWALL’S POINT, INDIAN RIVER LAGOON, HUTCHINSON ISLAND, ATLANTIC OCEAN, by Ed Lippisch 4-27-20
INDIAN RIVER LAGOON, ST LUCIE COUNTY, HUTCHINSON ISLAND ~NOTE ST LUCIE POWER PLANT AND SAVANNAHS ON MAINLAND TO WEST
