Home > Science Fact Finder > The Environment - What Is Red Tide And What Causes It?
The Environment - What Is Red Tide And What Causes It?
What is red tide and what causes it?
Red tide is a term used to describe the brownish or reddish coloration of waters that sometimes occurs in oceans, rivers, or lakes. It is caused by algal blooms—the rapid reproduction of a variety of toxic, single-celled organisms. These organisms include dinoflagellates and diatoms, mostly of the genera (plural form of genus, a category or classification made up of species sharing similar characteristics) Gymnodidium and Gonyaulax, which contain a red pigment called peridinin.
In some cases red tides are harmless. However, during intense algal blooms, dangerous levels of toxins are released into the water. These toxins kill fish (millions of fish may die in a red tide) and accumulate in the fatty tissues of shellfish. Humans and other animals that eat contaminated shellfish may become paralyzed or even die.
Scientists do not fully understand why red tides...
[The entire page is 217 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
- Ecology
-
Environmental Degradation
- How rapidly is deforestation occurring?
- How many acres of tropical forest does the world lose annually?
- What products come from tropical forests?
- Who coined the term "Spaceship Earth"?
- How long will it be before all tropical forests have been destroyed, if present rates of destruction continue?
- What is the greenhouse effect?
- What are the components of smog?
- How do chlorofluorocarbons affect the Earth's ozone layer?
- What are flue gas "scrubbers"?
- What is acid rain?
- How acidic is acid rain?
- What are PCBs?
- What is eutrophication?
- Where are the radioactive waste disposal sites in the United States?
- How much oil is dumped into the seas?
- Where did the first major oil spill occur?
- Which pollutants lead to indoor air pollution?
- How much solid waste is generated annually in the United States?
- How much garbage does the average American generate?
- How much does packaging contribute to municipal solid waste?
- How critical is the problem of landfilling in the United States?
- What are Operation Ranch Hand and Agent Orange?
- What is the NIMBY syndrome?
- How much waste paper does a newspaper generate?
-
Endangered And Extinct Species
- Under what conditions is a species considered "endangered"?
- Which animal species have become extinct since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973?
- How many species of plants and animals are threatened in the United States?
- Are turtles endangered?
- What was the first animal on the U.S. endangered species list?
- What is the status of the African elephant?
- What is dolphin-safe tuna?
- How did the dodo become extinct?
- Why did dinosaurs become extinct?
- What were the smallest and largest dinosaurs?
- Did dinosaurs and humans live at the same time?
-
Conservation
- Who is considered the founder of modern conservation?
- What is a "green product"?
- Who started Earth Day?
- How much of the Earth is protected as national parks and similar sites?
- What was the United States' first national park?
- What natural resources are saved by recycling one ton of paper?
- What do the numbers inside the recycling symbol on plastic containers mean?
- How many trees are saved by recycling paper?
- What products are made from recycled plastic?
- What is the Pollutant Standard Index?
- What is the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)?
- How many automobile tires are thrown away each year and what can be done with them?
- What causes the most forest fires in the western United States?
- When did the symbol of Smokey Bear begin to be used for forest fire prevention?
