FUN FACTS: Red Tides

Ever seen the ocean turn red? If you are coming from Mexico or Florida, you should be familiar with this.

http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/

Due to high amounts of nutrients in estuarine waters, little phytoplankton single-cell organisms known as dinoflagellates explode in numbers, causing extensive algal blooms. Depending on their photosynthetic pigments, they may color the ocean from green, brown to bright red.

Some blooms ( “harmful red tides”) may be dangerous to humans, mammals and fish, due to neurotoxins developed and released by the phytoplankton. Fish and mammals may die, while humans are harmed via eating affected shellfish species (Kirkpatrick et al., 2004). 

On the one hand, there is a great need for prediction and management of red tide occurrences, due to health risks and potential economic crisis for fish markets (Kirkpatrick et al., 2004; Jin et al., 2008). On the other hand, scientific prediction of algal blooms is tough, while management techniques may influence ocean ecology. Nonetheless, the science is on it! (Anderson, 1997).

http://floridashapeoff.com/news/2008/talk-on-reducing-red-tide/