Editor’s note: This post was written and published in collaboration with Florida Sea Grant. Large portions of the material in the linked posts below were authored by Florida Sea Grant faculty and staff and republished here with permission. Visit their page, Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida, to learn more.
Florida is no stranger to a variety of algae blooms. You’ve probably heard of them. Eye-burning red tide. Guacamole textured blue-green cyanobacteria blooms. And the latest — a massive bloom of a seaweed, or macroalgae, called sargassum.
Blooms of magnitude of any of these algae can lead to environmental, economic and public health problems. But what causes these organisms to bloom by the masses? How much are humans to blame? How do we monitor and forecast these blooms?
We’ve broken these questions down by each algae type below, thanks to the help of algae bloom experts in Florida and elsewhere. Explore each section to learn more.
Red Tide 101: The Basics (Video)
Almost every summer in Florida, you hear news about red tide. But what exactly is it, and why is it so talked about? Watch now to learn more!
Florida’s Algae Problem: What Is It, And How Can It Affect You?
Floridians are already witnessing its harmful consequences in aquatic ecosystems as Florida creeps into its summer season.
UPDATED April 25, 2022: A Rundown of the Piney Point Wastewater Leak
Polluted wastewater at an abandoned phosphate mine in Manatee County was pumped into Tampa Bay to stop a leak.
Still have questions? Email us at earthsystems@floridamuseum.ufl.edu and we will relay your question to an expert and add it to the list!
Learn more
- Attend or tune into a public meeting. The Blue-Green Algae Task Force meetings can be found at: Blue Green Algae Task Force
- Learn more about the scientists appointed to the Red Tide Task Force: Red Tide Task Force
- Keep up with the latest algae bloom reports/forecasts:
- Red Tide: FWC Red Tide Tools
- Blue-green algae: NOAA HAB Monitoring System
- Sargassum: Satellite-Based Sargassumm Watch System