The waters off the coast of Florida have turned a bloody red, and the rapid spread of single-celled organisms is causing the deaths of numerous marine creatures. Dolphins, sea turtles, fish, and other marine life have been dying for weeks due to an intense algal bloom that has turned the water red. Over 100 tons of dead animals have already been washed up on the beaches of Florida this month alone. The phenomenon, known as the red tide, is the result of a massive proliferation of microorganisms that lower the oxygen content in the water and produce toxins. The red tide has caused the deaths of twelve dolphins in the Sarasota district in recent days, as many as would normally be found in a whole year.
Gretchen Lovewell from the Mote Marine Laboratory, who collects the dead and half-dead animals on the beach with the help of her colleagues, says, “It’s physically and emotionally exhausting.” Among the dead dolphins was a well-known specimen that scientists had numbered 252 for identification purposes several years ago. The dolphin had been sighted over 300 times in Sarasota Bay until the helpers found it dead on the beach. The cause of the dead dolphins is most likely the red tide, but the final laboratory results are not expected for several weeks.
The cause of the red tide is the single-celled organisms Karenia brevis and the flagellate Euglena sanguinea. They turn the water red and, due to their high numbers, have a massive impact on the local ecosystem. The single-celled organism Karenia brevis also produces a toxin that can be deadly to marine life and can cause humans to experience teary eyes, coughing, headaches, and even asthma. The red tide began in October last year, but it has only spread massively in recent weeks. At present, the red tide extends over 320 kilometers from Tampa to Naples on the west coast of Florida. Experts believe that the red tide is indirectly caused or at least promoted by industrial agriculture and the associated over-fertilization and improper waste disposal.
