Shades of a Canfield Ocean — Hydrogen Sulfide in Oregon’s Purple Waves?

[Binkie The Clown]

Are we already starting to awaken some of the horrors of the ancient hothouse ocean? Are dangerous, sea and land life killing, strains of primordial hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria starting to show up in the increasingly warm and oxygen-starved waters of the US West Coast? This week’s disturbing new reports of odd-smelling, purple-colored waves appearing along the Oregon coastline are a sign that it may be starting to happen.



(Purple waves wash over the Oregon beach of Neskowin on August 15. A form of hydrogen sulfide consuming bacteria is known to color water purple. Is this an indicator that the deadly gas is present in Oregon’s waters? Image source: Jeanine Sbisa and Beach Connection.)

---SNIP---

The purple sulfur reducing bacteria, though not dangerous themselves, live in a kind of conjoined relationship with the much more deadly hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria. The purple, is therefore, a tell-tale of the more deadly bacteria’s presence. And hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria may well be the most dangerous organism ever to have existed on the planet — largely responsible for almost all the great extinction events in Earth’s deep history. For hydrogen sulfide itself is directly toxic to both land and ocean-based life. Its deadly effects are increased at higher temperatures. And not only is it directly toxic in both water and air, if it enters the upper atmosphere it also destroys the ozone layer.

More at THE LINK

[hollysmom]

1. wow, just wow

[justaddh2o]

2. Not bacteria, perhaps a jellyfish

<snip>
According Dr. Caren Braby of the Newport office of Oregon Department and Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), it is a jellyfish-like creature called a salp.
<snip>
The how and why is the interesting twist that could involve the infamous "blob," an area of warmer water in the Pacific Ocean that scientists believe is contributing to the current drought patterns of the West.

"This may be an unusual sight for us because of two or more possible (hypothetical) reasons: 1) they may be blooming significantly this year due to unusual ocean conditions, or 2) they are usually out there but this year they are onshore due to the suppressed upwelling (the 'blob') pressed up alongshore."

Tiffany Boothe of Seaside Aquarium photographed the salps today - Friday - as well.

"The purple color is due to the mass concentration of them washing in," Boothe said.

link: http://www.beachconnection.net/news/salppurp082815_725.php

[freshwest]

4. Thanks for that information. I was thinking it might have been from an undersea volcano. All kinds

of gases and chemicals come out them and other geological events.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. 'jellyfish'-*like* - actually salps, which are chordates, and closely related to vertebrates

Salps are classed in Thaliacea, which are tunicates, which are in turn olfactores, a group which also includes all vertebrates. Salps have a dorsal nerve cord, but no backbone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaliacea#References

These have no sting, for instance.

[sue4e3]

7. Thanks for the info

My post was a little more on the funny sarcastic side. I wasn't really paying attention, now I know they are interesting

[passiveporcupine]

3. A little bit of knowledge can be a scary thing

[sue4e3]

5. Right , I read this when I first woke up no coffee and not enough sleep,

I was thinking groggily the End of the World. Shit I didn't even have my coffee yet, Then I thought wait , wait , go back read every thing . O Good jelly fish , not little anaerobic microbes out to kill us . It's gonna be a long Day