Toxic Red Tide Leaves Florida Beachgoers Sick, Kills Thousands of Sea Animals

jason

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The phenomenon, which occurs when a profusion of algae emits dangerous toxins into the water and air, has left people in six Florida counties experiencing respiratory problems, according to Fox 6. It has also caused the deaths of thousands of sea animals, including fish, dolphins, turtles, and eels, NBC News reported.

Red tides normally last three to five months, but this one began back in October. It’s unknown how long the red tide will go on. “There’s no real way to know how far north the red tide is going to go. It all depends on local ocean currents and wind,” meteorologist Greg Dee told ABC Action News.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/toxic-red-tide-leaves-florida-beachgoers-sick-kills-thousands-of-sea-animals/ar-BBLD6mE

It has been bad before, but do not recall ever seeing it this bad before.
 

Cappy

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Good years and bad years every thing has em thats why they are variables. As I understand it red tide is caused by algae blooms algal blooms are due to lots of nutrients in the water. lots of nutrients comes from more than usual rain fall causing a flush of fresh water into the gulf or new more powerful fertilizers or both. :beer3:
 

Roybrew

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I know that we have had a lot of rain in the Tennessee Valley this year. All that water we get runs down the Tennessee River to Paducah Kentucky where it meets the Ohio then Mississippi. Of course then the Gulf. Maybe that's a big part of the fresh water.

Hey Cappy, how far have you run up the Mississippi River? If yo ever have that is.
 

Cappy

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I worked lots on the river but all south of Baton rouge. Spent years working down in the passes below new orleans. I always preferred teh back waters bays and bayous locally so even when working in the river I always offered to work the passes below mile 0. The marshy world of the lower delta is a amazing ecosystem that I really love
 

jason

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Well news reports are saying more Manatee have died this year from the red tide then all of 2017.

Still lots of debate on the cause. Some are saying the dust that crosses the Atlantic from Africa is adding to it. Others say the building on wetlands down south. A lot of news about big sugar pumping their water that has a ton of fertilizer into Lake Okeechobee and then that gets pumped out to the Gulf or Atlantic.

So far it is still south of me, which is good. Hurting some businesses on the water down there though. Not sure how this will affect fishing regulations next year. They did open scallop season this year in my county after 25 years of not having it. It was only 10 days long, but it was a nice start.
 

ppine

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There are some problems with blue-green algae in fresh water lakes also. It occurs during hot, dry summers in places that people would not expect like the mountains of Oregon.

There can be no doubt that algae blooms in fresh and salt water require nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. These nutrients often show up in agricultural runoff, but they are area sources and hard to control. Increasing water temperatures are also an important contributing factor.
 

jason

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I think that is part of the issue. They locked up Lake Okeechobee from naturally emptying out into the everglades so they could build down there. Just north of the lake are a lot of sugar growers. The rain washes all their fertilizers into the rivers which feeds into the lake. Lake backs up they open the gates into the canals which push the water into the Gulf. It is sad to see some of the pictures that people posts.

Then the dust from the Sahara they say is also playing into effect. https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/Why-is-Red-Tide-so-bad-this-year-Could-dust-from-the-Sahara-be-to-blame-_170958572

There is articles like this that try and explain the difference between the two, but many consider them both the same around here. https://www.clickorlando.com/water/red-tide-and-blue-green-algae-whats-the-difference

Knock on wood, it is getting close to my area, about an hour or two south of me. But nothing reported here yet.
 

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Ive got Sorcerer Mickey on my right ankle, the "Peace, Love & Mickey" in an anklet around my left ankle and a Mickey silhouette. I want to get another one. They are very addictive.

Noseybuddy: Id love to see a pic of your hidden mickey. Thats what Ive been thinking about getting.
 
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