A red tide bloom has waxed and waned along Florida’ southwestern coastline for months, dating back to late 2001. As recently as March 1, 2002, high concentrations of Karenia brevis were located along the Lee County and Collier County shorelines. In-water measurements revealed there are more than 1 million cells of the algae per liter of water—a level at which the organism become highly toxic to fish and shellfish in the area.
This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Terra satellite, on February 17, 2002.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
