Above 100,000 is “medium,” and will likely cause respiratory irritation and fish kills and other wildlife impacts, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which issues regular updates on conditions.Īs of Wednesday, the bloom “persists in Southwest Florida," the report said. Fewer than 1,000 are considered “background” levels and probably won’t trouble beachgoers or wildlife. “I don’t have that crystal ball.”Ĭoncentrations are measured by using a microscope to count how many cells are visible in a liter of water. “I wouldn’t be able to say,” Bartleson said. Sometimes, Bartleson says, the red tide organisms themselves get a virus or bacteria – “some kind of infection that seems to take care of all of them all of a sudden and no matter how large the bloom is, it just all goes away at once.” But so far this year, “we’re not seeing any sign of it going away,” he said, and he can’t predict when it will. He had to tell her it was “pretty bad down here (and) that there’s no sign of (red tide) disappearing.” “Every year, when the red tide starts making the news, they start calling from wherever they are, because they want to know if they can come for vacation.” “Somebody from New Jersey called me yesterday,” Bartleson said. But for those potential visitors, such technicalities may be less important than whether or not the stuff is going to wreck their trip to the beach. Yet it's not a plant. Karenia belong to the Protista kingdom, which includes amoebas and slime molds – and for that reason, some say it shouldn't be lumped with algae either. It's a dinoflagellate, a single-celled organism that moves with a pair of thread-like whips called flagella and can make food from the sun by photosynthesizing as plants do.
Scientists are studying what it might do to humans over time.Īlthough other life forms can produces what's commonly known as red tide, in Southwest Florida, Karenia brevis is the usual suspect. In the animal world, it can sicken or wipe out fish, birds and mammals like manatees and dolphins. Short-term, red tide toxins can produce effects ranging from back-of-the-throat tickling to coughs to blinding headaches. Few are as close to the daily details as Bartleson, who regularly samples the region's saltwater for harmful algal blooms like Karenia brevis and other water-fouling microorganisms.īartleson can't offer any guarantees, especially lately.įor more than a month, red tide has been lingering in patches along the Southwest Florida coastline from Marco Island to Captiva and beyond. In high enough concentrations, it can make a day – or a week – at the beach miserable. So they call the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation research scientist for the inside scoop. Would-be vacationers from up north on the verge of a week on the Gulf Coast start seeing headlines about red tide and panic – understandably. swim_it_shore_it/red_tide/red_tide_12x18_sign.Rick Bartleson gets asked every year: Will red tide ruin my Southwest Florida stay?.Red Tide facts from the Florida Department of Heath about aquatic toxins (PDF) Where to report human illness related to Red Tide and other aquatic toxins Anywhere in Florida, call (866) 300-9399īeach conditions reports from Mote Marine Laboratory & AquariumĪquatic toxins information from the Florida Department of Health.Protecting Florida Together is the state's joint effort to provide water quality information through environmental transparency and a commitment to action.įlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation status updates
Find current information about Florida's water quality status and public health notifications for harmful algal blooms and beach conditions by visiting Protecting Florida Together.
0 kommentar(er)
