Red Tide Along Florida's West Coast

A major red tide bloom has persisted along Florida’s southwestern coastline for months. The harmful algal bloom has killed many thousands of fish and has had an impact on the shell fishing industry in a number of the state’s bays.

A red tide bloom has waxed and waned along Florida’ southwestern coastline for months, dating back to late 2001. As recently as March 1, 2002, high concentrations of Karenia brevis were located along the Lee County and Collier County shorelines. In-water measurements revealed there are more than 1 million cells of the algae per liter of water—a level at which the organism become highly toxic to fish and shellfish in the area.

This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Terra satellite, on February 17, 2002.

Metadata

  • Sensor

    Terra/MODIS
  • Start Date

    2002-02-17
  • Event Start Date

    2001-08-15
  • NH Image ID

    2115
  • NH Event ID

    1111
  • NH Posting Date

    2002-03-02