Red tide has caused concern in Florida for several days due to the presence of toxic algae on many beaches.
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Pictures and videos of these painful scenes proliferate on social networks.
Bad smells are emitted near the beaches frequented by tourists.
Marine life is also affected by this red tide, as fish float squarely at the water level.
This phenomenon immediately interests many tourists, and the general public is little known about it.
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Our correspondent explains that red tide is caused by an explosion of microalgae growth in the oceans.
The growth of this algae is so high that it is found off the coast.
Joined by TVA Nouvelles, marine science expert Emmeline Pelletier attempted to demystify this increasingly widespread phenomenon.
According to him, the red tide will not be the result of climate change.
“Circumstances unite at some point,” he said. [Ça se produit plus souvent] Because it is nicer and warmer. Seaweed is preferred.
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Professor Emeritus at the Rimouski Institute of Marine Sciences adds that the marine ecosystem contributes to the growth of this red microalgae.
The expert evokes “their very appropriate nutrients, which are brought by very important coastal human activity in Florida.”
Not all coastal areas of Florida are prone to red tides.
The East Coast frequented by most of the “snowbirds” is rather untouched than the East Coast, while the state’s southwest coast is more familiar with the phenomenon.
A Quebecer visiting Tampa Bay explains how this holiday phenomenon plays out.
There’s a dead fish, I saw about two […] 15 days ago, when we went to Indian Rock Beaches, we were coughing almost all the time, and it was unpleasant, ”says one woman touched by the unpleasant odor.
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