WOODS HOLE, Mass., April 14 (UPI) -- Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts are mapping the sea floor in an effort to predict the phenomenon known as red tide.
A red tide is a bloom of an algae known as Alexandrium fundyense. New England had an exceptionally severe red tide last year.
While the red tide is not directly harmful to humans, the algae, when ingested by shellfish, release a potentially lethal toxin.
Last year's bloom started off Maine and was pushed southward to Massachusetts by storms, getting as far as Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
In their survey, WHOI scientists have found that the number of algae cysts is lower off Massachusetts than it was last year. But the number off Maine is slightly higher, raising fears that favorable conditions for the algae could lead to another similar outbreak.
"If we have persistent winds from the northeast this spring and early summer, there is a higher probability for a bloom and shellfish closures within the (Massachusetts) bay, whereas if we get winds from the southwest, which is more common for those months, that scenario is less likely," said WHOI Senior Scientist Don Anderson.
