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
1226	Mystery of 200-pound bluefin tuna washed up on Orcas Island	mynorthwest	2023-10-09	US
1227	Ghoulish footballfish makes rare appearance on Orange County beach	latimes	2023-10-21	US
1228	Alligator gar caught in Texas weighing 283 pounds shatters multiple records	Fox News	2023-10-25	US
1229	From kingfish to insects: insights from the €200 m ocean impact fund	thefishsite	2023-10-25	BZ
1230	Сом в шляпе	ohotniki	2023-10-23	RU
1231	Japanese Method of Humane Fish Killing Improves Quality and Flavor	ecoRI News	2023-10-12	JP
1232	The return of an old scourge reveals a deep sickness in the global fishing industry	bostonglobe	2023-10-12	CN
1233	Artist expresses depths of grief, then healing, in eye-catching paintings of fish	nola	2023-10-13	US
1234	First ever bluefin tuna found in Salish Sea stumps local marine experts	KOMO News	2023-10-14	US
1235	Leading UK chefs join campaign to cast farmed salmon off menu	theguardian	2023-10-14	UK
1236	Osakis fisherman loses runaway walleye during photo op	echopress	2023-10-20	CA
1237	Plan for water cuts from 3 Western states is enough to protect Colorado River	The Associated Press	2023-10-25	US
1238	Tsleil-Waututh’s race to save salmon habitat in drought stricken southwest B.C.	coastalnewstoday	2023-10-20	CA
1239	Alleged salmon price-fixing scheme prompts $5.2M Canadian settlement	vancouverisawesome	2023-10-20	CA
1240	The Ausable River's fish died in droves in July.	CBC News	2023-10-12	CA
1241	Reaping the rewards of a move from agri- to aqua-culture	thefishsite	2023-10-20	IN
1242	‘It smells so bad’: glut of wild salmon creates stink in Norway and Finland	theguardian	2023-10-02	UK
1243	Estonia's national fish stock fell by half even while adhering to quota	err	2023-10-04	EE
1244	Invasive spiny water flea found in Lake Winnipesaukee for first time ever	masslive	2023-10-01	US
1245	Fisherman loses runaway walleye during photo op and makes miraculous catch	echopress	2023-10-20	US
1246	Illegal fishing plagues Omani coastal cities	muscatdaily	2023-10-07	OM
1247	A young leader fights for Yukon River salmon, her community – and herself	alaskapublic	2023-10-03	US
1248	North Carolina angler's colorful puddingwife catch may set world record	foxweather	2023-10-03	US
1249	Canada’s DFO confronts Native fishermen	nationalfisherman	2023-10-19	CA
1250	US Women's Fly Fishing Team Wins Bronze Medal at 2023	einnews	2023-10-19	US