What hurdles does Mote face on a daily basis? We encourage coastal residents to choose yard plants that require less fertilizer, minimize fertilizer use overall, and use slow-release varieties if they can’t avoid it. Stormwater runoff is one area where people's choices can have an impact. Fertilizer and other kinds of pollution flowing into our coastal ecosystems are generally bad and should be reduced. We know that there is the potential for coastal nutrients to influence blooms, in particular from fertilizers that reach the ocean via storm runoffs. In general we can each do our part to help keep our waterways clean. What is something non-scientists can do to help? Over decades, scientists (including Mote scientists) have worked to rule out ineffective control and mitigation strategies and redirect attention toward more promising ones. There’s also the issue of practicality: red tides vary greatly in size–sometimes expanding as far as 10,000 square miles–and can be present from the surface of the water to the seafloor, making them difficult to target. brevis dies, potential controls must both kill the organism and eliminate the toxins from the water without doing further harm to the ecosystem. Because the harmful effects are caused by toxins released when K. So red tides can even cause harm on land.Ĭurrently there is no tried-and-true way to completely remove Florida Red Tide from the Gulf without potentially causing serious damage. brevis cells and release these toxins into the air, leading to respiratory irritation, or more serious illnesses among those who have conditions like asthma or emphysema. They can also accumulate in molluscan filter-feeders, such as oysters and clams, which can lead to neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (which is why there are shellfish bans during red tides).Īdditionally, wave action can break open K. Florida Red Tide produces brevetoxins that can fatally damage the central nervous systems of fish and other vertebrates. Many red tides produce toxic chemicals that can affect both marine organisms and humans. brevis, and ecological conditions (like the presence or absence of other life forms) determine whether or not it will thrive. Physical conditions concentrate and transport K. Chemically, the appropriate temperature, salinity, and nutrients the alga needs to grow and multiply must exist simultaneously. brevis must be present in the water and able to out-compete other phytoplankton. “Florida Red Tide” refers to blooms of this specific organism. Along Florida’s west coast and elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the species of algae that causes red tides is Karenia brevis, often abbreviated as K. We’re an independent, nonprofit marine research institution comprised of world-class marine scientists committed to the belief that the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans begins with research and education, and that both are crucial to helping create a better environment for ourselves and our children.Ī red tide, or harmful algal bloom, is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic plant-like organism that can release strong toxins. The Lab moved to its present location on City Island in Sarasota in 1978, and opened Mote Aquarium in 1980 to showcase its research to residents and tourists alike. After outgrowing its original space and moving to Siesta Key, the Lab was renamed in 1967 for its principal benefactor, William R. Eugenie Clark for her groundbreaking shark research. Mote was founded as the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory in a tiny shed in Placida, FL in 1955 by Dr. Could you give us a little background on Mote’s history?
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