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Regarding progress around the world on reducing our carbon dioxide output during energy production: Ten charts show how the world is progressing on clean energy, World Economic Forum . "The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react." - George Bernard Shaw Disclaimer: This information is shared for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use.

This site has a series of posts about improving the health of the ocean’s low oxygen zones, including directly adding oxygen with a wind powered bubbler – imagine a fish tank air bubbler, a pump drawing air in through a tube from the surface of the tank and releasing it as bubbles at the base. The series: 1. Oceans need oxygen , 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone , 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency , 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels . 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really . 6. Supplementing the Ocean , 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable . 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider . 9. Inventions Occur in Stages . 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines . 11. Air or Water Filters for Nanoparticles . The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: ( Oxygenating the Ocean ). Jumping ahead, imagine that is working, now add a filter that cleans the air of smog particles which can include various toxins including very small nanoparticles. Nanoparticles can be a risk to human and marine life especially at lower concentrations, larger concentrations have a tendency to clump together and the body’s toxin removal systems are more likely to be able to remove the clumps while a few small nanoparticles tend to be absorbed deeper into the body from the lungs or digestive system. An air filter might include something that encourages the clumping of nanoparticles. For more information about health risks and possible ways to protect against harmful effects of nanoparticles from smog see the post: Inventions Occur in Stages . Another idea mentioned in the series was a suggestion by others – upwelling tubes to redirect current and nutrients from deeper layers of the ocean into upper layers, Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels , – if the large tubes could include a filter of some sort that trapped microparticles of plastic that would also improve the health of the ocean ecosystem. Filters generally need to be cleaned or changed periodically so the giant upwelling tubes would need to be accessible to divers or be on a pulley system so the base could be tilted up to the surface occasionally for the maintenance of the plastic or nanoparticle collecting filters. The wave action in the lower surface of the ocean would be providing the upwelling power so I would think a collecting area would need to also be at the base where the currant would likely be more powerful than at the top of the tube. To incorporate a different line of research - pomegranate peel extract is being investigated for various health and industrial uses. It contains strong antioxidants and other chemicals that seem effective at adsorbing - clinging to the surface of - other chemicals and has been used to form nanoparticles. It also has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasite, and anti-worm (antihelmintic) properties and has proven effective as a food preservative. So air or water filters that incorporate some pomegranate peel fiber or extract may help collect nanoparticles from smog or microparticles of plastic while also reducing oxidative chemicals or controlling growth/killing infectious microbes. See this Google docs link, Medicinal Potential of Pomegranate Peel , for an overview of research on pomegranate peel extract and links to recipes for a homemade version I have created for my own health needs. Plastic eating bacteria have been discovered but too little is known about how they might effect ocean habitats if they were purposely added to the ocean in hopes of reducing plastics in marine waters. It is also unknown if some decomposition of plastic by marine microbes is already occurring and if that might be creating some other undesirable chemicals from the decomposition. Physical collection and processing of plastic from ocean eaters is being performed by a company mentioned on the Earth – ocean.info site. (One earth one ocean.com I think See this post earth-ocean.info/blog/plastic-pollution ) Additional note on problem solving and brain storming – it can be helpful to approach problem solving from the point of view that a suction exists, in fact that many solutions exist, and that you just need to figure out some solutions (brain storming, just imagine ideas, no matter how odd) and then figure out which are actually physically possible and then work out which might be most practical, affordable, easiest to implement with least amount of work, etcetera. Our health and our future depends on the health of the planet and oceans. The easiest way to reduce plastic in the ocean is to use less, recycle what we use, and progress has been advancing on different ways to. catch floating plastic waste within rivers before it enters the ocean. Solutions to problems exist, it requires teamwork, funding, and action to implement solutions though. It is wonderful how many people, businesses, nonprofits, and nations are working to solve problems that are negatively effecting the health of the planet and oceans/ocean (all the oceans are connected and various currents circulate nutrients and warmth. If those currents change significantly then places like Europe and the United Kingdom may become much colder, mini ice age colder). Humans are smart and caring, let’s work together and protect our planet! Disclaimer: Information provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use.

Briefly, revisiting the series about reoxygenating the low oxygen/dead zones of the ocean with windmill power, (see primarily part 2 and 3), a revolving solar sail windmill (see this post) would involve brand new technology and might be better suited to a land based mount for stability. The idea was initially considering how to gather in smog filled air from a large urban region (downward/inward air flow), clean it, and blow it back out over a large urban region (upward/outward air flow). Combining both solar and wind power sources was for the goal of providing more continuous power during a range of weather conditions. The series: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. 11. Air or Water Filters for Nanoparticles. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean). For the purpose of reoxygenating the ocean a device that could float anchored to an ocean floor mount would be easier to establish than having to build a stand that reached the ocean floor. Wind power would blow over anything that isn't firmly enough mounted. The solar sail spinning effect would blow around in circles instead of tipping over but it would still need a stable base. Horizontal turbines designed for duct work could be designed to exhaust air downward within a double walled cylinder. Stacked horizontal turbines within the center could take in air flow during windy conditions and instead of exhausting the air out the other side could instead direct it downward into the outer cavity of the double walled cylinder. Trees and other plant stems have upward and downward flowing channels for nutrients. Picture a tall stack of donuts. The horizontal turbines would be spinning within the center and the downward airflow would be exiting through the doughnut stack (children's toy visual aid). Picture the tree trunk with a hole for a bird's nest at each level of the doughnut stack, with some bird's nest holes entering the central trunk from different directions, rotating around the trunk, from north, south, east and west, in order to catch the wind from any direction. Reverse flow valves would be needed to create a vacuum seal to the outer downward flow air chamber (the donuts) from the horizontally stacked turbines located in the center (where the doughnut hole or center post on the child's toy (children's toy visual aid) would be located). With the invention of 3D printers it might be possible to make a complex turbine and double walled air funnel shape as the individual doughnut parts and then combine them in the vertical stack with openings for wind entry on different sides of the vertical stack. Hemp fiber is a sustainable material as the plant grows rapidly and in many environments. The fiber has some natural antimicrobial properties and has been combined with other ingredients to make insulation and structural fiberglass like building materials. Hemp/biocomposites, (LLC Real Hemp). Keeping a structure ice free and preventing rain or ocean spray from filling the turbine areas would be needed. Height would help get the horizontal turbines up high enough to better catch wind and would keep them farther away from the spray of ocean waves. A metal structure could convert some of the wind power into heat to keep the units too warm for ice formation. That would not be possible with a hemp fiberglass construction. Weather sensors connected to sliding panels could detect ideal wind speed and level of precipitation and only open the turbines when conditions were within the ideal range. The advantage of building the stack of horizontal turbines out of lightweight fiberglass would be the lightweight - it would not as much of a floating or grounded support at the base. A very lightweight structure could be more easily designed as a large floating buoy anchored to the ocean floor. Without the typical windmill blades the central trunk like cone shape would be more resistant to strong wind storms. Wind would just flow around the sides if sliding panels could close the turbine entrance areas. Ideas start somewhere and may go in various directions from there - ___________! Disclaimer: Information is provided for educational purposes within guidelines of fair use.

"Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts." - Albert Einstein Helping others or giving money or supplies to support a cause can give oneself a sense of purpose and positive feelings. Altruism is giving without expecting something in return. Supporting the health of the planet, whether a government is in support or not, is an activity that is altruistic, in that no specific return is expected, however long term health for oneself or family may be a bonus. The nonprofit organization effectivealtruism.org helps provide information about non profit organizations that seem to be achieving goals and 80000hours.org provides career guidance for people who would like to try to follow a career path that is also in support of altruistic goals. Nonprofit or other organizations that are working towards ocean health are described briefly in an article by Coastal Living: "11 Amazing Organizations Fighting to Save Our Oceans," ( coastalliving.com ). Disclaimer: Information provided for educational purposes within guidelines of fair use.

The planet was here first and likely will outlive humans at the rate we are taking care of our health as a species. The question of whether the planet should have legal rights with human courts is discussed here: Protecting the Rights of Planet Earth , ( ThoughtEconomics ). In New Zealand the Whanganui River river won legal rights with the help of human representatives, aborigines who consider the river to be an ancestor with living rights. See # 9 in The Real Fight Against Fake News - Project Censored's top 10 under-reported stories , Nov. 2018, ( ProjectCensored ). " Ashes to ashes, dust to dust ," ( origin ) - by molecular count we are more water than ash or dust. Disclaimer: Information provided for educational purposes within guidelines of fair use.

Note my ideas are simply brainstorming ideas offered in case they might stimulate creative solutions by others working in the area of ocean health, sustainable energy or clean air and water - the planet needs us to live in balance with the ecosystem. Inventions generally go through many stages from early brain storming, through a model size prototype or two to a full-size prototype with revisions as needed. I grew up in a family with a mechanical engineer discussing various ideas and drawing blueprints or showing the family finished blueprints occasionally. Family members occasionally helped with testing gadgets for wind resistance factors - ie - read the numbers on this odd gadget out loud so they can be recorded for later calculations. (a three blade windmill blueprint drawing of the finished outline)(10 nontraditionally shaped windmills/wind turbines). Previous post - Imagining Windmills - I plan to expand on the idea mentioned at the beginning of this series (part 2, part 3) regarding aerating the oxygen free areas of the ocean. Spinning windmills have been created for land use - modifying the idea to incorporate air flow within the spinning mast/central pipe would be like turning a fan inward, utilizing the air exhaust like a mini hurricane to push the air into high pressure areas of the ocean depths or to push purified air out into the area surrounding an urban region with a smog problem. Our planet needs species, including us, that use resources in a sustainable way or else the environment becomes depleted, and species in the region become extinct if enough members cannot move to a new area. Locusts are an example of a species that can over consume resources and then fly away to over consume in another area. The overgrowth of algae blooms in the ocean may float over some area on the ocean currents however they can't fly away to a location farther away, so they die out once the excess of nutrients in the area has been consumed. Ocean health is a big topic. The series: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean). Additional information regarding smog & possible preventative health strategies: Information about smog and potential negative health risks: Causes and Effects of Smog, (conserve-energy-future.com), Nanoparticles in polluted air, smoke & nanotechnology products have serious impact on health, Trinity College Dublin, June 11, 2012 (ScienceDaily.com). Deadly Air Pollution Can Get Into the Bloodstream, 'Smoking Gun.' Study Suggests, Ian Johnston, April 26, 2017, The Independent, (independent.co.uk). Smog induces oxidative stress and microbiota disruption, by Tit-Yee Wong, Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, 25:2, April 2017, pp 235-244, (sciencedirect.com). Smog Eating Paint Does More Harm Than Good, Harriet Fletcher, Sept. 4, 2017, (ChemistryWorld.com). Nanomaterials and nanoparticles: Sources and toxicity, Cristina Buzea, Ivan I. Pacheco, and Kevin Robbie. Biointerphases 2, MR17 (2007); (avs.scitation.org). " “What would happen if we could arrange the atoms one by one the way we want them?" - Richard Feynman, credited with the concept of nanotechnology, at a Dec. 1959, American Physical Society meeting. Nanotechnology involves purposeful creation of tiny particles of various shape and function. The nano sized particles are similar in size to virus and some internal parts of the cell such as the diameter of the DNA spiral. Nanoparticles occur naturally or are created in wildfires or in evaporation of ocean spray. Some may be beneficial to health while other types have been found to be harmful. The very small size (below 1 micrometer) or small size in combination with a thread like shape can make the particles able to enter the body through the lungs or digestive system and then lodge in areas where they can cause damage. Their small size and/or long thread like length makes them difficult for white blood cells to remove as other foreign material can be removed from the body. The Environmental Protection Agency monitors "particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide" as regulated in the Clean Air Act and has proposed that fine particles below 2.5 micrometers in size also be monitored for the Air Quality Index. (page 26/MR41) Cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers, lung disease, and autoimmune conditions have been associated with increased levels of nanoparticles in the air. The health damage is often due to an increase in oxidative stress and adequate antioxidant rich vegetables and fruits with nutrients such as the antioxidant vitamin C may be protective against damage caused by nanoparticles. (page 29/MR44) (For symptoms of vitamin C deficiency & food sources see: Vitamin C, for beautiful skin inside and out.) Nanoparticles in greater quantities/greater concentration tend to clump together and then may be able to be removed by the white blood cells. Small doses may have increased risk due to their being able to be absorbed into the body instead of being removed by the defense mechanisms of lung tissue or by white blood cells. (If oxidative stress is a primary cause of damage then phytonutrients that increase Nrf2, a protein that helps us increase our own antioxidant production, would also likely be protective. For foods and phytonutrients that may help increase Nrf2 see: G10: Nrf2 Promoting Foods. - yes it helps Reduction of oxidative damages induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles correlates with induction of the Nrf2 pathway by GSPE (grape seed procyanidin extract) supplementation in mice - PubMed - NCBI (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28780322) Nrf2 promoting phytonutrients could also help fish - "The Nrf2-Keap1 system is present not only in mammals, but in fish, suggesting that its roles in cellular defense are conserved throughout evolution among vertebrates." Molecular Mechanisms Activating the Nrf2-Keap1 Pathway of Antioxidant Gene Regulation, (liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ars.2005.7.385) Role of the Nrf2-heme oxygenase-1 pathway in silver nanoparticle-mediated cytotoxicity, (sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041008X11004030) -- Nrf2 protects against DNA damage and cell death that can be caused by silver nanoparticles. Too much Nrf2 activation isn't good though, as it can tip the antioxidant balance too far. Silaca nanoparticles seem to cause damage by increasing Nrf2 and other pathways. Guo C, Xia Y, Niu P, et al. Silica nanoparticles induce oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction in vitro via activation of the MAPK/Nrf2 pathway and nuclear factor-κB signaling. Int J Nanomedicine. 2015;10:1463-77. Published 2015 Feb 20. doi:10.2147/IJN.S76114 (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4345992/) Ion plasma fields - electrically active atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in a gaseous form - are being used experimentally to promote wound healing. It seems to help by (i) modifying the redox-mediated tissue response, (ii) increasing the Nrf2 pathway and (iii) stabilizing the structure of the healing tissue. Schmidt, A.; Bekeschus, S. Redox for Repair: Cold Physical Plasmas and Nrf2 Signaling Promoting Wound Healing. Antioxidants 2018, 7, 146. (mdpi.com/2076-3921/7/10/146/htm) Nanoparticles, human health hazard and regulation. Seaton A, Tran L, Aitken R, Donaldson K., J R Soc Interface. 2009;7 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S119-29. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Filtration of Nanoparticles from Traffic Should Become a Key Criterion of Building Ventilation, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, Nov. 16, 2017, (phys.org). Chapter Two: Natural Sources of Nanoparticles, Nicolae Strambeanu, Laurentiu Demetrovici, and Dan Dragos, from Nanoparticles’ Promises and Risks, M. Lungu et al. (eds.) Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015, (pdf). - Dust storms and volcanic smoke are natural sources of nanoparticles which can be carried by wind from as far as Asia across the Pacific Ocean to North America Impacts of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles on Marine Organisms, (ScienceDirect). Possible preventative health strategies to potentially reduce risk from smog: Having adequate B vitamins which are important for all aspects of metabolism and energy production in the body may help reduce the harmful health effects of breathing smog-laden air: (Could a Daily Vitamin Curb Smog’s Health Effects? webMD.com) Banning indoor smoking helps a lot. Some states have banned indoor smoking in all public places but some still allow. I’m updating this post in a location that allows it in a section of the building and the odor is obvious to me throughout the main area of the building. It is a health risk that may be worse for people who have deficiencies or metabolic differences in B vitamins such as folate and B 12 which are discussed in more detail later. Other tips for reducing formaldehyde are discussed in this post: formaldehyde-health-risks-and-environmental-and-dietary-sources/ Formaldehyde is a common chemical in polluted or smoky air and folate is needed to help the body detoxify and excrete formaldehyde. It may be an underlying factor in risk for autism development as housing with poor air circulation and/or some types of new vinyl flooring is associated with a greater risk for autism in the family. Other pollutants that may effect children are included in this post: environmental-toxins-and-neurodevelopmental-disorders-in-children/ Genetic screening might be helpful for people living in smog areas -methylation differences can leave people unable to use the common supplemental type of folate called folic acid or vitamin B12. Methylated forms of both are available or both can be found in some typically used foods but if you did have a genetic difference in ability to methylate then it is better to avoid using the supplemental folic acid or un-methylated B12. It is like filling the body with puzzle pieces that fill the receptor spots that are open but which then can’t connect properly to other pieces. The unusable forms compete with any methylated vitamin that was available from dietary sources of B12 or folate that had been eaten that day. (Selfpay, for research purposes only, genetic screening panel that I have used - meaning it isn't approved as a diagnostic tool that you could get your health insurance to cover or doctor to prescribe.) We need to try new strategies if we hope to get different results. Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within guidelines of fair use.

Healthy air and water should be a concern for all of us, not just biologists or health professionals, or business owners, or oceanographers, or politicians, - our air, our combined lane - our combined concern. "A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels." - Albert Einstein By sharing information or ideas, by learning more about a variety of topics, I am learning more about what might be possible and sharing in hopes it might help build a future that will be healthier for humans and other species. Creativity is about expanding possibilities, leaving more ideas to choose from - thinking what else could be done, and then the next steps are considering which might be worth expanding further into a plan or prototype. We are born creative geniuses and the education system dumbs us down, according to NASA scientists. (ideapod.com) 6 Steps to Productive Brainstorming, (Inc.com). My lane is health, and that is part of all of life. Ideas and information about ocean health, a series: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean). Disclaimer: Information is provided for educational purposes within guidelines of fair use.

It is possible to put 26 or 33 pages of text on one website page - I've done that, however you then can't link to the individual sections. Ocean health is a big topic. Working on a big topic within one document is helpful, this is still a work in progress: (docs.google.com). The series: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean). Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within guidelines of fair use.

More businesses and other groups are beginning to consider the potential losses and insurance needs or disaster recovery plans that may occur due to climate change, however many may be considering the direct impact to their own business and customers and not consider the bigger picture of suppliers, power and water, transportation, and the extended network of modern life. The topic is introduced in a short article: Companies Vastly Underestimate the Costs of Climate Change, by Adele Peters, Dec. 12, 2018, (Fast Company). The problem with society over-depending on insurance to cover costs of climate change is that too many individuals and businesses are likely to be affected at the same time and insurance companies may go bankrupt. Insurance is a pool of many small payments that provides larger payments to a few claims at a time - it is a way to spread risk across society to help the few who have disasters of whatever sort. When the balance tips towards many large claims being in need at the same time, then the many small payments won't be enough to meet the need of all the large claims. Insurance is important but if an entire region is facing the same risk then the region needs to work on reducing risk physically, not just depend on insurance to cover the cost of rebuilding, whether coastal flooding or erosion, wildfire or earthquake, or severe snowstorms leading to rapid melting and floods in unexpected places or bursting of dams too much harm, too many lives might be at risk and rebuilding in the same way could just leave the survivors at risk of a repeat in the future. The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) and the Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF, a group convened by U.N. Environment) recently released a report reviewing the risks of climate change that the insurance industry needs to consider - if the insurance companies are concerned, then likely it concerns all of us. Insurance is based on small payments by many covering the large payments to a few - prices to individuals and businesses have to be increased when the outgoing payments grow larger. That has been apparent with health insurance costs. A link to the IAIS & SIF report is included in a brief article about it: Report Outlines Climate Change Risk by Insurance Sector, by Don Jergler, Aug. 23, 2018, (insurancejournal.com). Images and a discussion of an enormous flood prevention project in Japan built to protect Tokyo, includes the concern that defensive construction plans may give a false sense of security leading to over-development of areas that will become more and more at risk to severe flooding. Public education regarding individual strategies to follow in emergencies is also discussed - signs and practice drills for what to do, where to go quickly to reach higher ground in case of flooding. See: Tokyo is Preparing for Floods 'Beyond Anything We've Seen,' by Hiroko Tibuchi, Oct. 6, 2017, (NewYorkTimes). Other parts of the world are building parks in flood plain zones to give flood waters a place to go and protect areas slightly farther away from the ocean coastline with barrier dikes around the floodplain. When the areas aren't flooded they may act as a community park with bike paths and other playground or sports activities. Building houses on stilts or as a floating house, that isn't quite a boat or a standard house, are other strategies. Entire countries are facing a future underwater. Farming the ocean, recycling the plastic, aerating and repopulating the low oxygen zones, might all be tasks that a water based community might do in an new business economy. Some industrial and fish processing tasks are now being performed on the large fishing boats or tankers. Water based communities might grow mussels and seaweed in areas with upwelling tubes or windmills and provide maintenance for those projects. Hydroponic gardens could help provide other fresh food within the water based community instead of having to be reliant on shipments from land based communities. What we build today for tomorrow doesn't have to look like yesterday's world. The series: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean). A variety of links regarding climate change and examples of sustainable projects and architecture are included in this post: We are in a relay race - life, pass it on. Additional References regarding strategies used to reduce risk of urban flooding: A nonprofit organization has been successfully working to identify obsolete dams and safely remove them from rivers throughout America. Which opens the flowing river to wildlife like otters and also helps protect communities from the risk of flooding if the dam fails, as is likely when maintenance and repair is no longer occurring. (americanrivers.org) The Netherland's Room for the River project that protects urban areas from flooding by directing flood waters into lowlying wetlands or floodplains that are used as parks when they are not flooded: (ruimtevoorderivier.nl/english). How Green Roofs Can Protect City Streets from Flooding, Aug. 21, 2017, theconversation.com. William Moss, Reducing Urban Flooding, The National Gardening Association, Garden.org. Sites with a variety of examples of sustainable projects for wise use of water: For anyone interested in more information about what communities or farmers can do about wastewater treatment a site offers examples and strategies that have been successful: SSWM, Tools for Sustainable Sanitation and Water Management. (sswm.info/about_the_toolbox). Many example case studies from around the world are available which describe ways that communities have worked together to plan processes that maximize food and energy production while preserving water by planning the best use of resources for the region. See: Implementation and Case Studies, Nexus - The Water, Energy, and Food Security Platform, (water-energy-food.org). “We must begin thinking like a river if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life for future generations.” ― David Brower . Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within guidelines of fair use.

After learning more about the trophic levels of the food chain and farmed aquaculture it is clear that farmed Mussels need to be on more menus. They appear easy to manage for the farmer of the sea as they survive on phytoplankton and algae. Dangling ropes from a frame at the surface of the ocean allows clusters of mussel shellfish to grow on the rope. The rope can be easily raised from the ocean by the farmer to check on growth or harvest the full-sized mussels. The small shellfish species help protect the ocean by cleaning up the excess nutrients from agricultural runoff which can otherwise lead to algal blooms. Algal blooms that have insufficient shrimp, mussels, or other species in the area to consume the extra growth, may add toxins to the water depending on the species of alga, and when the excess nutrients from fertilizer runoff are used up the algal bloom dies in large quantities, and bacteria decompose the algal remains using up oxygen in the water until that also runs out, leading to oxygen dead zones. For more information see: Best catch guide: Mussels. More information and reference links about low oxygen areas of the oceans is available in a series of previous posts: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean). Mussel Gumbo - an adaptation of this recipe: Mussel Gumbo/Alyson Gofton. 2 large onions, diced 2 Tablespoons Coconut or Olive Oil 4 stalks celery, diced 1 green pepper, diced2 cups okra sliced ½ tsp each ground white and black pepper pinch of ground cayenne 2x 400 gram/14 oz cans diced tomatoes in juice 1 litre/quart water or fish or chicken stock 2 Bay Leaves 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce 1 teaspoon Gumbo File 500 grams- 1 kilogram/1-2 pounds cooked mussel meat ¼ cup chopped fresh basil and thyme or 1 tablespoon each dried In a large sauce pan, saute the diced onion, celery and okra in the coconut or olive oil until limp, onions caramelized slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Add the water or stock, tomatoes, Bay Leaves, and other spices and dried herbs if fresh are not available, bring to a simmer and heat for 15 minutes. Add the roughly chopped cooked mussel meat, the fresh herbs, and the Gumbo File powder and bring to a simmer, serve once the mussels are hot. How to cook mussels - they are steamed for 5-7 minutes in a covered pan with some water and possibly garlic or other seasonings, see: How to Cook Mussels, (peimussel). If fresh mussels are not available, buy mussels in brine, drain well, presoak in fresh water for 15 minutes and drain again before chopping. Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

To return to the series about low oxygen areas in the ocean, supplementing the ocean with the addition of mineral oxides, discussed in Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really, might need to be done gradually with regular small amounts delivered over a wide area - like crop dusting over a large agricultural field, or in time release capsules like vitamin supplements or medications that dissolve gradually. Agricultural runoff in part causes phytoplankton/algae blooms because the runoff is occurring in bursts during certain phases of the growing season when agricultural fertilizing occurs. Precision agriculture strategies work to reduce runoff by using more precise timing and delivery methods so less fertilizer is needed and more will be used by the plants. Fertilizer is needed by the roots so application methods that work it into the top layer of the soil help increase uptake by the plant roots and decrease runoff at the soil surface. See: What are the 4Rs?, "Right fertilizer source at the Right rate, at the Right time and in the Right place." NutrientStewardship. Similar concepts might help with trying to reoxygenate ocean dead zones without causing another algal bloom, die-off, and another round of decomposition bacteria using up the oxygen that the algae created. Gradual application rather than a single large amount of something like the experimental use of iron would be a Right rate. Magnesium oxide could be delivered to various ocean layers by dropping quantities packed in biodegradable containers that gradually release the magnesium or containers that withstand different amounts of pressure so some open sooner or later than others within the ocean depths. Magnesium oxide or an aerating bubbler system of some sort might be the Right fertilizer source. Upwelling tubes would provide nutrients from the ocean floor but wouldn't necessarily provide oxygen if they were in an oxygen dead zone. Combining upwelling tubes and an aerating bubbler system could provide nutrients and oxygen. Incorporating aquaculture mussels or seakelp or aquaculture of shrimp or small fish that eat phytoplankton would help prevent overgrowth of algae from too much nutrients or oxygen. The Right time might be when the natural growing or spawning cycles occur for species that would eat phytoplankton, for a goal of repopulating the dead zones. The Right place might be within areas of the dead zones where there is an active current to help spread the oxygen bubbles or magnesium oxide farther. The Right place for upwelling tubes might also include areas where we want to maintain the (thermohaline) ocean current patterns that circulate now. Europe and the U.K. enjoy warmer weather than would occur if the deep ocean currents that exist changed significantly. See: Deep Ocean Currents (Global Conveyor Belt), HowStuffWorks. The series: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean). Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use.

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." - Helen Keller Pausing for beauty break, the planet is glorious. The series: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean). /Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use./