![]() ![]() Increased ocean temperatures make for an ideal growing environment for the algae, while rainfall is also expected to increase in certain areas, which may result in the increased run-off of nitrogen fertilizers into waterways. NASA needs help finding toxic algal blooms and it will pay you to do itĬlimate change may also impact the occurrence of red tides in the coming years, due to changes to the environment that will make the growth of the algae more favorable.Mystery as thousands of dead fish found on Hong Kong beach.Toxic red tide is decimating Florida's marine plants."Specific to southwest Florida, which has experienced red tide blooms almost every year since 2000, nutrient-laden freshwater discharges from the Caloosahatchee River help drive the intensity and severity of red tide blooms in the area." "While these algal blooms are naturally occurring within the Gulf of Mexico, dating as far back as 1844, they can and have been fueled by human influence, specifically excess nutrients from agricultural and wastewater runoff (e.g., sewage discharge and septic system effluent)," Griffin said. Red tides have been recorded to exist for centuries, but have been made more frequent and severe by the runoff of nutrient-rich fertilizers into the riverways and eventually, into the oceans. Photo by JESUS OLARTE/AFP via Getty Images ![]() In humans, exposure to red tide can lead to eye and respiratory irritation, more severely so in those with conditions such as asthma. Specimens of red tide cultivated for research in ways to lessen its impact are seen through a microscope at the Mote Marine Laboratory, in Sarasota, Florida, on March 18, 2023. Weisberg, a professor emeritus in physical oceanography at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science, told Newsweek. Once it starts, it is hard to get rid of it because it nourishes itself," Robert H. brevis takes over, and, by virtue of its toxins, it kills fish, thereby making its own nutrient supply from the decaying fish. The red tide blooms can also impact other species without the use of their toxins by causing mass fish deaths by using up much of the dissolved oxygen in the water and killing critical seagrass populations by blocking the sunlight from reaching the marine plants on the seafloor. Using a data processing technique, they can view “red tide” events in false-color, seen in this Feb. Scientists can now detect small-scale features of harmful algal blooms that occur close to beaches and inside small bays. This exposure will occur from either direct exposure or through the consumption of prey that has already been affected." "Ultimately, beyond fish mortality, red tide can affect the reproduction of fish and larvae survival resulting in large-scale population and food web shifts for coastal species. "As this alga remains within an area, it can release neurotoxic brevetoxins that can result in loss of swimming ability, paralysis, and respiratory failure for marine life," Griffin said. These algae produce a neurotoxin called brevetoxin, which is released into the water and air from the algal cells when they are disturbed. "When excessive growth, i.e., algal blooms, occurs they can result in toxic conditions for marine species to survive within," Lucas Griffin, a postdoctoral research associate in environmental conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, told Newsweek. Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has detected high levels of red-tide-causing algae off the Florida Gulf Coast. ![]() ![]() Dead fish that washed ashore due to a red tide on January 4, 2021, in Captiva Island, Florida. ![]()
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