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Showing posts from October 3, 2012
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During the International Coastal Clean-up on Sept. 15, dead bait fish littered the shoreline of Englewood Beach. The algae bloom commonly called red tide by coastal Floridans is always present some where out in the Gulf or Atlantic waters.  The microscopic single celled algae called  Gymnodinium breve  (pronounced, "Jim-no-din-ee-um-bre-vay")   just hangs out dormant on the ocean bottom. Why and when the algae multiply  or "bloom" is still undetermined but most scientists agree that excess nutrients - from artificial fertilizers to natural organic decay - play a role because the nutrients allow the algae to live and reproduce. Many scientists also believe ocean currents play an important role in bloom formation by concentrating large amounts of red tide in certain areas. Blooms have been found both far offshore and in coastal bays and estuaries. The last major red tide bloom in Southwest Florida started in early 2005 and did not substantially end until lat