#5 Progress Report Pt.2

Since my last progress report, I have created an infographic on the life cycle of red tide. I started with the main cause of pollution and finished with the effects that red tide has on the environment and society. I went for a minimalist design when planning out this infographic. I felt like if I went for a more elaborate design, the information would not be as clear. To create my infographic I used Visme. I chose a theme that would allow me to create an effective timeline style infographic. This is ideal for showing the life stages of red tide.

In terms of what I left, I still need to correct a few errors on the Presi I made and correct future corrections on the infographic. I also still need to write the final conclusion paper.

 

#4 The Progress Report, a Work in Progress

When looking for a topic, I looked for events in science that are relevant today. Recently, the topic of red tide has been in the news. I chose to research red tide because of the devastating effects that it has had on Florida. During this project I was able to learn a lot about what red tide is and how it affects our society and what causes the outbreaks.

Since I had found a topic that interested me, I began to look at research articles to learn about what is happening in the science field. This led me to find an article on satellite imaging to identify red tide. I found this situation particularly interesting because it is using relatively new technology to deal with biological problems.

Having found an interesting research article on red tide, I wanted to present this information to my peers. I used the online presentation program Prezi to create a presentation to show my class what I had learned. This program allowed me to create a presentation that was effective and interesting. This is especially true compared to other presentation programs that I have used. The class seemed to appreciate learning about red tide and what the field of science is doing to deal with the problem.

In future, I would like to share with my peers other aspects of science that are relevant to red tide. I think everyone would enjoy this based on the feedback received from my previous presentation. I am also planning to create an infographic so that the information that I have learned will be easily accessible and understandable to a larger demographic.

#2 What is Red Tide?

In this blog I plan on learning about and sharing information on Florida’s red tide epidemic. Red tide is an explosion in growth of dinoflagellates. Dinoflagellates are a naturally occurring algae that are always present in the ocean. However, they can explode in population when provided with an abundant amount of nutrients. While not all red tides are red, the red color that has been associated with this natural occurrence is caused by a specific type of dinoflagellate that is commonly present, Karenia brevis. While these algae are common in scarce populations, during a red tide they are present in high numbers and can release deadly amounts of neurotoxins in the water and air.

Red tide is mostly known for its effects. Dinoflagellates like Karenia brevis release neurotoxins that leave fish and other marine dead. After the dinoflagellate bloom, there is also a period of microbial growth. The microbes consume the algae and consume the oxygen in the water as well. These can lead to deoxygenated pockets of water, furthering the death of sealife.

When a red tide is in season, it leaves the local fishing economy and tourist economy in ruins. Fish and other sea life are not safe to eat and beaches are littered with the dead fish carcasses that have floated in. Red tide is an event that is both harmful for the environment and the economy. In this blog I plan on writing about some of the specific effects that red tide has had on the state of Florida.

#3 Space Station Image Captures a Red Tide Ciliate Bloom at High Spectral and Spatial Resolution–Summarized by Michael

Red tide is caused by a species of ciliate that creates a reddish hue in the water and causes the death of many different types of marine life. Since the ciliates are mobile, there has been no efficient way to remove them from the water. The blooms typically occur in estuarine water, where nutrients are in abundance. However, better identification of the species of ciliate is needed to mitigate the effects of the tide, thus satellite imaging is needed

Using known areas of red tide bloom, Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean on the International Space Station will be used as a spectrometer to analyze the blooms. The spectrometer will be looking at the reflectance spectrum to see which wavelengths are reflected and which are absorbed. This will hopefully give insight into the location of the algae blooms, insight into dense areas of the bloom.

Sadly, the technology limited the goals of the experiment. Instead of focusing on the specific wavelengths emitted by the red tide ciliate, the researchers were forced to focus on dark water, and the general absorption of green light. Although the researchers were unable to identify the specific red tide ciliate, their research will be vital in the future when the technology on the International Space Station improves.

The authors believe that results of their experiment will be vital for the future. Using the spectrograph data that they collected, scientist will be able to identify red tide in the future once the technology on the International Space Station improves.

#1 The Effects of Red Tide

 

About the Author

Hi my name is Michael Garcia and I am studying biomedical engineering at the University of Miami. Having grown up in Miami, I have been around my ocean the entire life. I remember being a children and getting excited every Saturday when my family decided to go to the beach. Unexpected, one day we went to the beach and I saw dead fish littering the shores. I ask my dad and he said it was red tide. At the time, I did not understand what was going on. Dead fish?!? on the beach?!? I was disgusted to go back in the water long after seeing the effects of red time. Currently, Florida has been hit once again with a red tide epidemic. It has effected the entire west coast and parts of the east coast. Using what I have learned in school, I am looking forward to investigating my early curiosity of red tide. 

Blog #1: What is red tide?

In this blog I plan on learning about and sharing information on Florida’s red tide epidemic. Red tide is an explosion in growth of dinoflagellates. Dinoflagellates are a naturally occurring algae that are always present in the ocean. However, they can explode in population when provided with an abundant amount of nutrients. While not all red tides are red, the red color that has been associated with this natural occurrence is caused by a specific type of dinoflagellate that is commonly present, Karenia brevis. While these algae are common in scarce populations, during a red tide they are present in high numbers and can release deadly amounts of neurotoxins in the water and air.

Red tide is mostly known for its effects. Dinoflagellates like Karenia brevis release neurotoxins that leave fish and other marine dead. After the dinoflagellate bloom, there is also a period of microbial growth. The microbes consume the algae and consume the oxygen in the water as well. These can lead to deoxygenated pockets of water, furthering the death of sealife.

When a red tide is in season, it leaves the local fishing economy and tourist economy in ruins. Fish and other sea life are not safe to eat and beaches are littered with the dead fish carcasses that have floated in. Red tide is an event that is both harmful for the environment and the economy. In this blog I plan on writing about some of the specific effects that red tide has had on the state of Florida.