PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Gulf Coast Life

Tropical Storm Gordon's Possible Impacts on Red Tide

Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio

Single Karenia Brevis Cell
Mote Marine Laboratory

While Tropical Storm Gordon only brought a few days or so of heavy rain to southwest Florida, scientists say its path up the coast, and its persistent offshore winds, might actually diminish the intensity of the ongoing red tide bloom that’s been killing marine life and causing respiratory irritation for nearly a year now. While the data is still coming in, we’re checking in with Dr. Rick Bartleson, Research Scientist with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. He's been testing water samples collected near Sanibel Island.