Research Efforts


MONITORING:

  • FWRI and Mote do transects from Sarasota to Naples testing for red tide

  • Volunteer Fishing Captain program send water samples to FWRI

  • Breve Buster - Mote developed this technology to automatically monitor
    for red tide in Charlotte Harbor 24/7

     
  • AUV - Mote developed this technology for continuous red tide monitoring of open waters in the gulf.

  • NOAA is monitoring red tide via satellite which may lead to the ability to forecast red tide events.

MITIGATION:

  • Health - Mote and FL DOH are developing new tools to mitigate
    red tide affects on people

  • Clay- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Mote are doing research on the use of clay to mitigate red tide blooms which is used in the far east and are testing to better understand the environmental affects of using it as
    A mitigation technique. 

     
  • Ozone research

    • Natural substance

    • May kill red tide

    • Testing to insure environmentally safe

    • Mote Marine Laboratory is doing the project

 

Research and Remediation
Leading scientific reports on research and remediation being done in the areas of our most immediate concern are listed below:
Selected publications concerning the Gulf Of Mexico's growing 'Dead Zone'

Oxygen depletion in the Gulf of Mexico adjacent to the Mississippi River.
by Dr. Nancy Rabalais, and R. E. Turner. 2005

Modeling the impacts of decadal changes in riverine nutrient fluxes on coastal eutrophication near the Mississippi River Delta.
by D. Justic, Dr. Nancy Rabalais and R. E. Turner. 2002
Selected publications outlining recent work done by ECOHAB participants

Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida
by K.Steidinger, J.Landsberg, C.Tomas, and J.Burns
submitted by the HAB Task Force Technical Advisory Group March 8, 1999 Overview of major HABs affecting Florida waters. Includes K.brevis, Pfiesteria-like species, Ciguatera and Cyanobacteria.

The Economics of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs): An Annotated Bibliography
by A.Tomerlin and C.Adams
Florida Sea Grant Program, Technical Paper 98, June 1999 Covers HABs nationwide and some abroad.
Recommendations for further work

Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida
Priority Research Recommendations 1999/2000
Prepared by the Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force October 1, 1999

For red tide it recommends:

  • Predict the onset and movement of red tides in shelf waters.
  • Develop epidemiological studies to determine red tide related health risks.
  • Determine the fate and effect of toxins in the marine environment, including water, sediment, air, and food webs.
  • Develop economic impact studies to properly evaluate losses due to red tide by coastal communities and industry.
  • Investigate existing technologies for effective dead fish cleanup.
  • Investigate the applicability and efficacy of control and mitigation methods for red tide.
  • Continue and enhance public information and outreach programs.
Results from a recent symposium on red tide

ECOHAB: FLORIDA ECOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (Symposium abstracts)

Recent work among ECOHAB researchers was presented at a symposium on harmful algal blooms held at Woods Hole, MA on December 5-9, 2000. Abstracts of the presentations and posters are available on the internet at http://www.floridamarine.org Click red tide and select the symposium. All the abstracts concern Karenia brevis. Titles , and in some instances, a few words about content , are given below. We urge the reader to go to the web site given above and look over the original abstracts.

ECOHAB:FLORIDA OVERVIEW-THE ENVIRONMENT

ROLES ENDOGENOUS CELLULAR RHYTHMS AND LIFE CYCLE STAGE RECRUITMENT IN G. BREVE BLOOM DEVELOPMENT

ECOHAB FLORIDA: FATE AND EFFECTS OF BREVETOXINS IN SELECTED BIOTA , WATER, AND SEDIMENTS ALONG THE WEST FLORIDA SHELF,USA

ECOHAB-FLORIDA : BIO-OPTICS AND PHYSIOLOGY
Discusses the effects of natural irradiance and high irradiance acclimation in the laboratory.

FLORIDA HYDROGRAPHY AND NUTRIENT CHARACTERISTICS WITHIN THE ECOHAB: FLORIDA CONTROL VOLUME ON THE WEST SHELF

ECOHAB: FLORIDA, PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

COUPLED NUMERICAL MODELS OF FLORIDA RED TIDES OF Karenia brevis.

IDENTIFICATION OF CEL CYCLE REGULATORS IN THE FLORIDA RED TIDE DINOFLAGELLATE, Karenia brevis

PHOTOPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF THE RED- TIDE DINOFLAGELLATE Karenia brevis (DINOPHYCEAE) UNDER NATURAL SUNLIGHT

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OCCUPATRIONAL EXPOSURE TO Karenia brevis (DINOPHYCEAE) TOXIN AND PULMONARY FUNCTION

SEARCHING FOR VIRUSES INFECTIVE FOR Karenia brevis

INTRA-CELLULAR, PARTICULATE AND DISSOLVED BREVETOXIN DISTRIBUTION DURING Karenia brevis BLOOMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, USA

ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING CLONAL CULTURES OF Karenia brevis

DEVELOPMENT OF THE VOLUNTEERS OFFSHORE RED TIDE MONITORING PROGRAM FOR THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA

OBSERVATIONS OF CURRENT RED TIDES (Karenia brevis BLOOMS)

Red Tide Remediation

FLOCCULATION WITH CLAY
Clay particles spread over water containing K.brevis will attach to them and settle to the bottom. A ship, a source of clay, a procedure, and funds are ready to go when red tide incidents occur.

REMOVING DEAD FISH FROM WATER BEFORE THEY CAN WASH UP ASHORE
Using a vessel designed for collecting spilt oil, fish are chopped up and returned to the sea. More tests must be run to assure the state of Florida that this technique will not adversely affect water quality. A field study has been designed, vessel selected, program funded and process implemented during red tide incidents.