OK, since I posted the above, I've seen several things that made me think the toxic gas idea isn't so far-fetched.ElecGeekMom wrote:I have been wondering if something in the way of a toxic gas has been percolating up through the waterways, poisoning vulnerable species and fish.
If we assume that the Mississippi River exists because a crack occurred in the crust there (EDM or GET, anyone?), and then filled with water thereafter--wouldn't that mean that there could be weaknesses below the surface of the crust?
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/01/11/c ... more-31432
http://www.eutimes.net/2011/01/top-us-o ... ass-death/
I don't know how valid the 2nd article is - it might be good for a laugh. It makes you think, though. After all, wasn't it on a Russian server that the Climategate material was released?
One thing I checked when I read the second article was, what was the terrain like at the location of the fish kill? The area cited is a stretch of river right next to a railroad, and the beginning of the stretch of river is at the location of what appears to be (from the satellite view) some kind of depot or industrial chemical storage or exchange facility, right where the river and railroad are at their closest. In fact, the railroad tracks crosses part of the waterway. If they really are shipping Phosgene around, disposing of it in the ground at various places, an accidental "spill" could have caused a lot of fish to be killed.
I strongly suspect that railroads (not airplanes, as mentioned in the article) are used to move hazardous chemicals to places where they can be put into injection wells and similar facilities.