A large number of dead fish have been reported in a Wisconsin lake after torrential flooding likely led to low oxygen levels in the water, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
What's happening?
Large numbers of dead fish were reported at Buffalo Lake. When state fish biologists investigated, they found low dissolved oxygen levels in the water — likely the result of recent flooding that led decomposing vegetation to be released from wetlands into the lake.
"When a waterbody has widespread low dissolved oxygen levels and no deeper, cooler water for fish to move to, it can result in fish mortality," the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources explained, adding, "Additional reports of fish mortalities are likely."
Why are fish kills and flooding important?
Wisconsin has been forced to deal with the effects of heavy rainfall recently — in early July, a dam was breached, causing people who lived downriver to evacuate.
"It just wouldn't stop raining in and around the Manawa area," local meteorologist Scott Cultice told the Associated Press. "They had water rescues. Most of the downtown roads were flooded. We just can't get rid of the rain. It's just not moving, just stalling."
Broadly speaking, extreme weather events such as flooding (and also droughts, heat waves, and more) have become more frequent and more intense as a consequence of the changes to our planet's weather patterns that have been wrought by dirty energy sources such as gas and oil.
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This is not the first time that these consequences have led to fish kills, either. In Florida, record flooding recently triggered Biscayne Bay's fourth major fish kill in as many years.
What's being done about the flooding?
Wisconsin is looking into how to mitigate future flooding, which it began studying after devastating 2018 floods caused one death and $21.4 million in property damages.
As far as the fish kills go, state officials advised residents to contact the Department of Natural Resources if they spot large quantities of dead fish and to not attempt to collect or handle them themselves.
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