Are Florida red tides getting worse?
Possibly. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) appear to be getting worse throughout the world. Some of the forcing factors believed to play a role in the worldwide trend are increased nutrient enrichment resulting from population growth and land use practices and increased water temperatures due to global climate change. Although the general trend appears to be worsening, trends for specific HABs can embody more uncertainty. This is particularly true for offshore HABs such as Karenia brevis, the organism that causes Florida red tides. Southwest Florida has endured red tide blooms on a near-annual basis over the past two decades, and the 2005 bloom was one of the most severe on record. However, Florida red tide blooms of similar intensity and duration have been confirmed as far back as 1948-49, and anecdotal evidence suggests that severe blooms have scourged the region for hundreds, if not thousands of years. There is broad consensus that Florida red tides have been especially active in recent
