Troubled Waters

Troubled Waters

Source: earthobservatory

9/25/2021

It was once a source of great abundance—particularly fossil fuels and fish—for the people of Venezuela. Now Lake Maracaibo is mostly abundant with pollution from leaking oil and excess nutrients.

Spanning 13,000 square kilometers (5,000 square miles) in northwestern Venezuela, Lake Maracaibo is one of South America’s largest lakes and one of the oldest in the world. Though it was filled with freshwater thousands of year ago, Maracaibo is now an estuarine lake connected to the Gulf of Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea by a narrow strait. That strait was significantly expanded in the 1930–50s by dredging for ship traffic. Now the north end of the lake is brackish, while the south end is mostly fresh due to abundant flows from nearby rivers.

In satellite images acquired in September 2021, Lake Maracaibo was swirling with shades of green, tan, and gray that traced the flow of currents and eddies. The sources of those colors were algae, river sediment outflows, and crude oil leaks. The image at the top of this page was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on September 25. The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 observed the scene below on September 10.

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
1001	Canada plans crackdown as trade data shows elver exports were 4 times the legal catch in 2022	msn	2023-12-15	CA
1002	Hanako ("flower girl") was a remarkable koi fish that lived for 226 years	twitter	2023-12-15	JP
1003	This Little-Known Lake Is Perfect For Easy Fishing, Boating, And Swimming In Texas	msn	2023-12-14	US
1004	Hurricane season is over, right? Why fishing is out of the question	Treasure Coast Newspapers	2023-12-14	US
1005	Delta striped bass, sturgeon fishing sizzles as emergency regulations go into effect	The Stockton Record	2023-12-06	US
1006	Record salmon run returns to Mokelumne River, main stem Sacramento run is dismal	The Stockton Record	2023-11-29	US
1007	Fishing and conservation groups condemn Delta Tunnel as final EIR is released	msn	2023-12-14	US
1008	Oscar winners latest film draws on real-life experience working in fishing industry	msn	2023-12-12	US
1009	Мой первый лед этого года	ohotniki	2023-12-08	RU
1010	The big hunting and fishing changes tied up in Maines tribal sovereignty talks	bangordailynews	2023-12-13	US
1011	Tuvalu leads the way in ensuring safe and fair fishing	tuvalufisheries	2023-12-13	TV
1012	Oceana Canada audit claims country has mismanaged fisheries over last seven years	seafoodsource	2023-12-13	CA
1013	Fishing the Midwest returns for 35th year	echopress	2023-12-13	US
1014	С начала года российские рыбаки добыли более 5 млн тонн рыбы	rg	2023-12-12	RU
1015	Invasive, football-size goldfish found in a Minnesota lake	CNN	2021-07-14	US
1016	A Quarter of Freshwater Fish Are at Risk of Extinction	nytimes	2023-12-11	US
1017	This Japanese dragon terrorized ancient seas	sciencedaily	2023-12-12	US
1018	In fight against illegal fishing, Canada's sea spies struggle with sloppy intel	CBC News	2021-03-12	CA
1019	Extreme weather takes a toll on Mumbais fishermen	msn	2023-12-11	IN
1020	Warning issued after dead fish found around park	BBC News	2023-12-12	UK
1021	We could see fish putting their heads out of the water to breathe	independent	2023-11-25	IE
1022	Salmon farming giant withdraws Scots site from scheme after finding lice-infested fish	dailyrecord	2023-11-26	UK
1023	Non-profit helps scores of fishermen with free fishing licenses	kpic	2023-11-27	US
1024	2 unique rainbow smelt populations make Lake Utopia special in Canada	CBC News	2023-11-26	CA
1025	Southaven man fined for $3.5K after illegal fish harvesting, officials say	FOX13 Memphis	2023-11-29	US