Killing algal blooms by Claudia Sonea

Researchers led by Richard P. Stumpf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that Florida's west coast deals with harmful red tide blooms, due to nutrients from the Mississippi that encourage the blooms, which occur along fronts of changing water density in the ocean. The nutrients are brought by seasonal changes in wind patterns. The red tide blooms are caused by an organism called Karenia that can swim up and down in the water, allowing algae to feed on deep nutrients and then can come to the surface for light, forming the toxic blooms, according to Stumpf statement. Scientists are hoping to find way of predicting them by studying the algae congregating below the surface that they found. It is necessary to discover ways of predicting or even preventing because there is a nationwide problem and harmful algal blooms have a direct economic impact estimated to average $75 million annually, including public health costs, commercial fishing closures, recreation and tourism losses and in management and monitoring costs. The research development is published in the journal Continental Shelf Research and the scientist main concern now is why the west Florida blooms formed in water that is normally low in nutrients that the algae live on. Stumpf theory is that the water from the Mississippi travels west and because of the seasonal wind changes in late summer and fall it switched its course towards Florida. Stay connected and you will find out more.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_sc/red_tides;_ylt=Ast6IX2W6SJbQpkwNkW7eAOs0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.