Scientists have finally discovered the reason behind the mysterious red tides that appear on the coast of Florida: with some frequency, the sea is shown by A disturbing blood red.
Until now it was known that these red waters They are destructive to the environment And expensive for local governments, but the exact cause has baffled researchers, so far.
For the first time, scientists have identified almost A dozen virus Associated with the Red Marea events, and have discovered that they are caused by massive algae growth, collects the Daily Mail.
The color of the tides is due to water currents and To the nutrients of the seaas well as the increase in sea temperature, which combine to return algae.
The authorities have been seen forced to close several beaches In recent years because it is known that red tides cause health problems in fish, birds and even humans.
Jean Lim, postdoctoral researcher of the Faculty of Marine Sciences of the University of Southern Floridahe praised the findings as an advance that could allow researchers to predict when events will occur again.
“We know that viruses play an important role in the dynamics of harmful algae flowersbut we didn’t know what virus could be associated with the flowers of Karenia Brevis“, said lim.
“Now that we have identified several viruses in red tide flowers, we can work to determine What virus could have influence on these events “the scientist continues.
Florida experiences red tide events almost every year, and generally occur at the end of summer and early fall on the central and southwest coast of the state, according to the Fishing and Wildlife Conservation Commission from Florida who participated in the study.
Flowers tend to last between three and five months and can affect hundreds of square kilometers, according to the commission. Combatting them can cost the authorities of dollars and the last finding was last month, extending over more than 320 kilometers, from Tampa Bay to Key West.
The study identified the body responsible for red tides as Karenia Breviswhich was collected during previous red tides events. To find viruses, researchers used a technique called viral metagenomic, which Analyze the DNA of the sample.
The study was published in the magazine Msphere of the American Society of Microbiology, And experts expect to determine exactly how viruses affect organisms to convert tide flowers into red.
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