Scientists are investigating the extent of damage caused by wildfire ash to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles. Debris and ash from the fires have been found miles offshore, raising concerns about the impact on marine life and human health. Runoff from rainfall could carry harmful chemicals and pollutants into the water, potentially affecting swimmers, surfers, and the local food chain.
How much was the ocean damaged as a recent of the wildfires in Los Angeles? That's what scientists are trying to find out now.On a recent Sunday, Tracy Quinn drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to assess damage wrought upon the coastline by the
Scientists on board a research vessel during the fires detected ash and waste on the water as far as 100 miles offshore, said marine ecologist Julie Dinasquet with the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Things like twigs and shard. They described the smell as electronics burning, she recalled, “not like a nice campfire.”
Los Angeles County officials, with help from other agencies, have set thousands of feet of concrete barriers, sandbags, silt socks and more to prevent debris from reaching beaches. The LA County Board of Supervisors also recently passed a motion seeking state and federal help toBeyond the usual samples, state water officials and others are testing for total and dissolved metals such as arsenic, lead and aluminum and volatile organic compounds.
Dinasquet and colleagues are working to understand how far potentially toxic ash and debris dispersed across the ocean, how deep and how fast they sunk and, over time, where it ends up.
WILDFIRE OCEAN POLLUTION MARINE LIFE TOXIC ASH CONTAMINANTS
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