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Thanks to federal grants, a forecast that helps predict where red tide will produce respiratory issues will reach more Gulf Coast beaches.
State wildlife officials reported Wednesday that a red tide bloom is still causing problems in Southwest Florida.
High concentrations are being found in Lee and Collier counties. Fish kills and respiratory irritations related to the bloom have been reported offshore of Lee and Collier, as well.
Red tide can cause coughing, runny nose and eye irritation.
The Red Tide Respiratory Forecast helps people along the coast know where and when to expect those symptoms.
It was initially established and tested in Pinellas County in 2018. Today, it includes more than 20 Gulf Coast beaches.
SCCF provides update on today’s red tide respiratory irritation
By SCCF - | Jan 6, 2021
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Marine Lab is continuing to monitor a red tide bloom to the south of Sanibel, officials reported today. Part of that monitoring includes providing counts of Karenia brevis, the dinoflagellate that blooms into red tide, from water samples collected at beaches on Sanibel.
The counts are uploaded to a Red Tide Respiratory Forecast tool that the public can visit online to plan their beach time along the coast. Today’s forecast is low to very low respiratory irritation based on current wind forecasts produced by the National Weather Service that are combined with K. brevis cell counts.
Red tide patches move along Southwest Florida coast
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Sporadic reports of fish kills and respiratory irritation point to patches of red tide off the coast of Southwest Florida, aligning with data researchers have collected this week.
Dead fish spotted were at Bonita Beach Friday morning and high counts of red tide, caused by the organism Karenia brevis, were reported along Sanibel earlier this week.
“It hasn’t looked good for most of the week,” said Rick Bartleson, research scientist with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. “It started out pretty bad on Monday with about 20 million cells per liter, a significant jump from last week so I started increasing sampling.”
GCOOS tool forecasts high chance of respiratory irritation
By SCCF - | Dec 16, 2020
PHOTO PROVIDED
Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System s Red Tide Respiratory Forecast for today.
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Marine Lab is continuing to monitor a red tide bloom to the south of Sanibel, officials reported today. Part of that monitoring includes providing counts of Karenia brevis, the dinoflagellate that blooms into red tide, from water samples collected at the beaches.
Some of the counts are uploaded to the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System’s Red Tide Respiratory Forecast tool that the public can visit online to plan their beach time along the coast.