FWC Red Tide Status Update for February 21, 202

 

 

FWC Red Tide Status Update for February 21, 202

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

 

via FWC

 

Current Conditions
Over the past week, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 37 samples collected from Florida. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in four samples: two from Sarasota County, and two offshore of Monroe County. We continue to use chlorophyll satellite imagery (USF, NOAA NCCOS) to track offshore patches suspected to contain K. brevis, although images for Southwest Florida have been obscured by cloud cover over the past few days.

Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to very low concentrations in Pinellas County, very low and low concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to low concentrations in and offshore of Manatee County, background to high concentrations in and offshore of Sarasota County, background and low concentrations offshore of Charlotte County, background concentrations offshore of Collier County, and background to medium concentrations offshore of Monroe County.
• In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Okaloosa County.
• Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Duval County.

Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported to FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline and other partners over the past week for Southwest Florida (from and/or offshore of Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties).

Respiratory Irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida (from and/or offshore of Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties). For forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County predict net southwestern movement of surface waters and net southeastern transport of subsurface waters in most areas over the next 3.5 days.