article: Ocean currents, not fertilizers, major cause of 2018 red tide bloom (Sarasota: university, year)

[Sunshine Rules]

Scientists: Ocean currents, not fertilizers, the major cause of 2018 red tide bloom

https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...red-tide-bloom


SARASOTA — A University of South Florida study blamed ocean currents — not land-based fertilizers — for making 2018 the worst year for red tide in Florida for more than a decade.


“This further demonstrates that the ocean circulation is the major determinant of Florida’s Karenia brevis harmful algae blooms, dispelling the myth that land-based fertilizers are to blame,” Weisberg said.

While pollutants can exacerbate an existing red tide, “they are not the root cause,” Weisberg said.