If you have been following the news out of Florida, you know that they have been experiencing severe marine devastation from something called a “red tide”, which is a toxic algal bloom along the coast which kills fish and sickens humans and animals that swim in it. The red tide itself is not that unusual, and occurs almost every year, but the magnitude of this This year’s event is causing huge problems for Florida. I was interested to read this recent article in Forbes which links the strong red tide to last year’s active hurricane season. This may be due in part to increased runoff of fertilizer from farm fields into the nearby oceans in heavy tropical rain, feeding the algae which cause the bloom. You can read more about red tides and the link to hurricanes at https://www.forbes.com/sites/priyashukla/2018/08/10/why-is-florida-experiencing-its-most-toxic-algae-bloom-in-a-decade/#3076d52a587e.
