A bloom of algae continues to threaten Florida's coastline. The red bloom, the largest there has been in Florida in the past ten years, has already laid thousands of fish to waste. Even worse, researchers predicted on Thursday, August 7 that the bloom will likely wash ashore in the next fortnight. On shore, the bloom of toxic algae would be an even greater threat to humans.
So far, the red bloom has spread almost 80 miles long and 50 miles wide. It stretches along the Florida coast, from the Panhandle to Tampa Bay.
Red tide blooms like this are caused when a very large amount of algae bloom at once. Algae emanate toxins that are harmful and poisonous to most forms of marine life, such as fish. Toxins produced by the algae are also harmful to people. They can cause respiratory problems in humans such as bad coughing.
The red bloom "could have large impacts if it were to move inshore," said Brandon Basino. Basino works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). "It has been killing a lot of marine species, especially fish, as it waits offshore."
The FWC has been keeping track of reports of the thousands of dead fish killed so far by the bloom.
Red tide blooms occur periodically in Florida, and are not anything new. However, this is the largest bloom Florida has had since 2006. The bloom is being watched by scientists since it has the potential to drastically affect tourism and fishing on Florida's beaches.
"I have seen analogies that equate red tide with a forest fire," said Kellie Dixon, who works at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida. "There is an ecosystem reset."
Researchers from the Mote Marine Laboratory recently sent two robots underwater to collect samples and data on the red tide bloom. The robots are named Waldo and Bass.
Scientists say that the tide has the potential to stay where it is for months; or it could be quickly dissipated by a storm. They are watching it carefully to try to track its movement.
State wildlife officials recently sent researchers out into the tide bloom by boat to collect water samples from 2,000 square miles of water. The team found that the red bloom had spread to the bottom of the ocean, and said that they expect it to be carried to land within two weeks, probably on beaches in the north and south of Tampa.
"It looks like it's coming in," said Alina Corcoran, an FWC research scientist on the expedition. She added, "All of southwest Florida is not doomed. This is normal. It happens all the time."
