ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A team of researchers from the University of South Florida say ocean currents are likely to blame for the devastating red tide outbreak last year.
A study by USF researchers was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans. The study found "ocean circulation made 2018 the worst year for red tide in more than a decade."
Red tide -- Karenia brevis -- is a microscopic, single-celled organism found in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and can cause respiratory issues in humans. The large breakout of the organism along Florida's Gulf Coast last year caused massive fish and marine life kills and is often blamed for damaging local tourism.
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The harmful algae is currently at "near undetectable levels" compared to this time last year.
USF researchers there tend not to be major red tide blooms if nutrient levels offshore are high in spring because of the "upwelling of deeper ocean waters."
The study found those upwellings did not happen in winter and spring of 2018, which allowed a new bloom to form offshore in spring and summer of 2018. When an upwelling circulation set in toward the end of last July, a newly-formed bloom was carried to the coastline.
Researchers said Tropical Storm Gordon also disrupted the upwelling circulation and allowed the red time bloom to be carried to the Panhandle. Red tide appearing in three different places (Florida's west coast, the Panhandle and the east coast) was a rare occurrence, and researchers say that may be because of ocean circulation.
"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," Dr. Robert Weisberg, Distinguished University Professor of Physical Oceanography, said in a release. "While pollutants can exasperate an existing red tide, they are not the root cause."
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