These algae blooms turn the ocean surface red and produce toxins that are harmful to marine mammals, sharks, seabirds and humans causing a range of issues from respiratory irritation, localized fish kills to large-scale massive mortalities to marine life. Red tides are becoming a near annual occurrence off the west coast of Florida, which are caused by massive blooms of the algae Karenia brevis fueled in part by excess nutrients in the ocean. This study by scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and NOAA collaborators is the first study to link low oxygen - or hypoxia - to red tides across the west coast of Florida and offers new information to better understand the conditions favorable for combined events as they are expected to increase as Earth continues to warm. You can also go to /water for full News 6 coverage on Florida's dirty water situation.Ĭopyright 2018 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.MIAMI - A new study found that when red tides began in early summer and continued into the fall, low oxygen areas-or dead zones- were more likely to also occur. Potential algae blooms can be reported by calling 85 or by clicking here.įor more information on what you can do to help improve the condition of Florida's waterways, click here. ![]() ![]() The DEP is made aware of these blooms thanks, in part, to public reporting. Pictures of the blooms are also available for some samplings. Clicking any dot on the map will provide information about where the sample was taken, when it was taken, what type of sample it was and if any toxins were present. Looking at the map, you'll see a lot of dots, but in a few instances, tests turned up negative or the DEP employee determined that water conditions were normal. Blue dots show where samples were taken in the past 30 days, green dots show reports within 31 to 60 days and yellow dots indicate reports within 61 to 90 days. The map, embedded above, shows where algae samples have been taken within the past three months. As discharges from the swollen lake have been released through canals to the east and west, the bloom has spread.ĭata from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows that dozens of rivers and lakes on either coast radiate from the massive lake. ![]() Unfortunately, this unsightly mess isn't just contained to Lake Okeechobee, which just so happens to be the largest freshwater lake in the state. There's a technical term for the layer of toxic sludge blanketing Lake Okeechobee: blue-green algae. You can see an interactive version of the same map embedded above by going to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's harmful algal blooms observing website here, and you can also find information on red tide forecast predictions from the Ocean Circulation Group here. Although that web page is usually only updated once a week, anyone interested in the current red tide status can call FWC's hotline at 86 if you're calling from within Florida or 72 if you're calling from out of state. Weekly change is also noted on the page, meaning Floridians can see where red tide conditions are improving and where they're getting worse. Bright red dots indicate where the bloom is the worst, while orange dots show where levels are in the medium range and yellow dots illustrate areas where red tide is present but in low levels. Each week, FWC posts the latest counts and conditions on a special section of its website dedicated to red tide monitoring.Ĭontained among the information on /redtidestatus is a color-coded status map that's updated every Friday. ![]() The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has been monitoring the Karenia brevis bloom, also known as red tide, on the Gulf Coast for months.
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