Scientists uncertain about Hurricane Michael's impact on spread of red tide to Pensacola

Although powerful Hurricane Michael churned and disturbed the Gulf of Mexico, scientists said this week it was too early to know if it spread red tide algae from the Tampa-St. Petersburg region to the waters off Pensacola. 

Jane Caffrey, a professor with the University of West Florida's Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, said karenia brevis, the organism that forms the red tide algae, is carried by currents.

"So it certainly could be transported up this way in a storm," she said. 

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But Caffrey said karenia brevis needs nutrients to fuel red tide algae blooms, which have plagued beaches elsewhere in the state this year with massive fish kill offs. 

"The thing that really makes the bloom is the presence of a high level of nutrients. If we don't get a lot of rain to flush rivers and bring nutrients from the Gulf coastal zone, those nutrients wouldn't be present," Caffrey said.

Robert Turpin, a marine biologist and Escambia County's director of marine resources, agreed. Turpin said the county sends weekly samples of the water off Pensacola Beach to a Florida Fish and Wildlife laboratory to test the level of karenia brevis present in the water. 

The latest testing shows very low levels, said Turpin, who likened red tide to adding a drop of red dye to a bowl of water. 

"What Hurricane Michael did was taking a spoon to the bowl and stirring that drop around the entire bowl," he said. 

The hurricane dispersed the concentrated red tide organisms over a larger area and broke up the algae blooms, he explained

"Just because it's dispersed, that doesn't mean a bloom won't be created elsewhere," Turpin said. 

Along with fish kill offs, red tide is also known for causing respiratory issues in humans. 

Tom Frankovich, a professor with Florida International University's Institute of Water and Environment, said red tide blooms are most common in the summer and early fall. 

More study needs to be done to know exactly what impacts hurricanes have on the blooms, he said. 

"In the short-term, the blooms are disrupted and broken up. In the long term, it's just a sort of wait and see what is going to happen," he said.

Melissa Nelson Gabriel can be reached at mnelsongab@pnj.com or 850-426-1431.