![]() ![]() coastal state, and their occurrence may be on the rise. As the name suggests, the bloom of algae often turns the water red. The toxins may also make the surrounding air difficult to breathe. This bloom, like many HABs, is caused by microscopic algae that produce toxins that kill fish and make shellfish dangerous to eat. One of the best known HABs in the nation occurs nearly every summer along Florida’s Gulf Coast. While many people call these blooms 'red tides,' scientists prefer the term harmful algal bloom. The human illnesses caused by HABs, though rare, can be debilitating or even fatal. Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae-plant-like organisms that live in the sea and freshwater-grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. Photo credit Kevin Bright.VIDEO: Learn about "red tides" and human health in this video from the U.S. Gonyaulax bloom near Anacortes, WA, July 2014. ![]() ![]() Ulva bloom on Sand City Beach in Monterey Bay, CA, July 2014. King's Harbor in Redondo Beach, March 2011. Smith.ĭense, green bloom of Tetraselmis spp. Kisfaludy.ĭolphins swimming through a dense bloom of Tetraselmis off San Diego, CA. This bloom has been an annual occurrence since 2010. Photo credit EOPS, July 31.ĭense, green bloom of Tetraselmis spp., a prasinophyte, during August 2012 at Scripps Pier, La Jolla, CA. Toxic Akashiwo bloom in Sinclair Inlet, Puget Sound. Toxic Akashiwo bloom in Case Inlet, Puget Sound. Herum.Ībalone and gumboot chitons killed by bloom of Gonyaulax (above). Foam produced by the bloom stripped feathers of their waterproof coating.īloom of the toxin-producing dinoflagellate Gonyaulax, off of the Sonoma coast. The yellow staining on the feathers of this Pacific Loon was caused by a non-toxic Akashiwo bloom. October 2015.Ī dense bloom of microcystis in Pinto Lake, Watsonville, CA. Gurkse.ĭo you have Harmful Algal Bloom or Red Tide photos that you would like to contribute to this page? Email us at bloom of Alexandrium in the San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz, CA. Johnson.Īlexandrium catenella bloom in the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge, Fremont, CA. Red tide seen near Fort Bragg, CA, October 7, 2011. May 2011.Īkashiwo sanguinea bloom, Monterey Bay, October 2010.īloom seen near Devil's Slide, south of San Francisco, in October 2012. Many dinoflagellates are bioluminescent.Ī dense Noctiluca bloom in Monterey Bay, California. Photo credit E Kisfaludy.ĭinoflagellate bloom at night. Whale swimming in Lingulodinium bloom, photographed from a small plane. Lingulodinium bloom, photographed from a small plane. Still others negatively impact the system indirectly by depleting oxygen, blocking sunlight, or interfearing with the waterproofing of seabird feathers.Ĭlick here for a list of toxin-producing phytoplankton. Some species cause fish kills by clogging or lacerating fish gills. Some phytoplankton species produce toxins, which can affect humans, fish, marine mammals and seabirds. There are a number of ways in which algal blooms can have a negative impact and be considered harmful. Discoloration of the water alone is not an accurate way to determine whether harmful conditions are present. Some red tides in California are harmless, while others may contain toxins or be detrimental in other ways. In California, red tides generally occur in the fall. Very dense blooms can change the color of ocean water, leading to red (or brown, or orange) tides. Algal blooms occur when environmental conditions allow explosive growth of phytoplankton. ![]()
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