Connecting Contaminants and Red Tide

Underlying the discussions on coastal contaminants in Sarasota County was the hope that limiting nutrient levels would help prevent red tide. “The science is very clear on the damage nutrients cause, but less clear on their impact on red tide,” DeCew said. “Nutrients probably exacerbate red tide, but it’s a complex lifecyle that initiates offshore and then is maintained inshore. Excess nutrients don’t cause red tide, but they probably make it stronger and longer.”

That’s underscored with a report from Mote Marine Lab – the first-ever from its new Marine Policy Institute. “Most scientists believe that coastal runoff is unlikely to affect the early stages of a bloom, but when a bloom moves inshore, they acknowledge that runoff can play a role in intensifying or prolonging a bloom.”