Algae Blooms: Karenia Brevis

Red tide or harmful algae blooms can be found all over the world. Algae blooms occur when elevated concentrations of microscopic algae are present in the water. These blooms often occur in the Gulf of Mexico and along Florida’s coast almost every summer and are almost always caused by one type of microscopic algae known as Karenia Brevis. When this alga accumulates it can wreck havoc on an ecosystem and has various detrimental side effects, not only does it affect the environment, but it also can affect human health.
The algae K.Brevis that causes red tide is a type of algae known as dinoflagellates. There are other types of dinoflagellates in different places that have similar effects as the ones affecting the Gulf of Mexico and Florida.
These are single-celled organisms that photosynthesize. They reproduce via asexual reproduction, which allows for very rapid increases in population size. These algae have flagella with allow them to propel themselves through the water. What makes these algae harmful is the neurotoxins that they recreate when die. K.Brevis specifically secretes a brevetoxin.
For a red tide to become prevalent in an area, it takes multiple factors for the algae to grow to a large enough population to have any effect on the environment.
Harmful algae like K.brevis can be in very low concentrations throughout a body of water without any effect. The algae become a problem when the wind and water currents condense a population. When a population is condensed and a nutrient source is available the population can explode and starts the beginnings of a red tide. Red tides frequently begin 10-50 miles offshore along the continental shelf. These areas are called initiation zones for red tide. The algae are usually carried into coastal waters with more nutrients where the population grows exponentially. When the population reaches a point where the algae start dying from lack of resources it needs to survive is when the water can turn a reddish color and toxins are released poisoning the water and polluting the air. Once a algae bloom has taken over it can last anywhere from weeks to longer than a year. The time it lasts all depends on factors that helped the algae population
grow.
The severity of the effects of a red tide depends on how long it lasts and the size of the population. A larger population is going to have larger and longer lasting effects. The longer an algae bloom is able to survive the longer it will effect an area. Red tide affects its surrounding environment the most. K.Brevis releases its harmful toxins into the water as it dies. This causes large fish kills and is responsible for the death of dolphins and manatees. The toxin kills the fish by affecting the central nervous system of the fish. The toxin can also kill birds if they eat poisoned fish.
Not only can red tide affect the marine life but it also affects human health.
The toxins produced by K.Brevis algae also pollute the air and can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. People with lung conditions are especially vulnerable as it can cause future complications in their condition. Not only does the toxin affect the air but it also affects shellfish that are being consumed. Shellfish are not affected by the toxins but they absorb it. When humans ingest infected shellfish they can get neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. This can result in the need of hospitalization fro anyone who has ingested infected
shellfish.
The economically red tide can cause millions of dollars to be lost because it affects a large part of the economy, especially since Florida’s largest tourist attractions are its beaches and other water-based attractions. Red tide leaves beaches covered in dead fish which causes a disgusting smell along with the toxins released into the air and discolored waters. This leaves beaches unusable and other attractions like fishing and boating not able to happen. Hotels relying on tourism see a major decline in people staying near the water. Restaurants selling seafood lose money because fish and shellfish become unsafe to eat. Not only does it affect tourist based industries but other marine based industries such as commercial fishing could be put out of business for years because of the fish kills. When the algae kill large populations of fish it leaves the populations desecrated for years to come until a population reaches its former size.
Scientists are trying to find a way to stop or treat red tides because of all the adverse effects but nothing has been found. To stop red tide the algae would have to be filled along with the toxins already in the water. Finding something that would stop the effects of red tide without harming the environment anymore is a challenge. In the 1950s scientists tried using copper sulfate to control red tide but it caused harmful environmental effects. While it got rid of the red tide it didn't accomplish anything beneficial. For now, better monitoring and possible predictions of where red tide could begin are all there is.
Overall, K.Brevis algae are very harmful to Florida”s environment, human health and economy. While there are no ways to stop its toxins from spreading and affecting the environment, technology continues to advance and help monitor and eventually stop the spreading and development of red tide.