Mote pushing forward red tide research

By STEVE REILLY Staff Writer
Nov 15, 2020
Nov 15, 2020 Updated Dec 21, 2021
0

SARASOTA — Toxic red tide algae held all Southwest Florida in a choke hold in 2018.

Since then, a concerted research effort for learning the causes of the toxic algae and how to mitigate its threat to sea life has been underway.

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Email: steve.reilly@yoursun.com

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Red Tide Research

Various research projects are underway to better understand and control toxic red tide blooms. A few thumbnail descriptions and titles of those research projects are:

• Expanding the Programmable Hyperspectral Seawater Scanner that performs automated sampling and analysis of seawater and measures spectral absorption which is related to ancillary photopigments unique to red tide.

• Advanced Sensing Technology Development for Red Tide Mitigation and Control to produce new sensor technology for red tide mitigation and control applications. Sensors will detect water chemistryand physical parameters to track harmful algae bloom dynamics.

• Testing the efficacy of products for mitigating harmful effects of red tide along the Gulf Coast.

• Evaluate the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as an alternative method for detection of red tide blooms compared to vessel and satellite sampling.

• Improve Mote Marine Laboratory's daily Beach Conditions Reporting.

•"Bloom Zoom": a portable phone-based microscope for quantitative detection of red tide reporting through "Citizen Science."

• Efficacy for Florida Red Tid .This project examines the effectiveness of quaternary ammonium compounds (QUATs) at removing red tide cells and its brevetoxins.

• Rapid Field Red Tide Toxin Biosensor, commercially important for shellfish industry and determining seawater conditions.

• Natural Compound Control and Mitigation for Red Tide. Examination of the algicidal properties of naturally occurring bacteria, macroalgae, grasses, seawater and other materials against red tide algae.

• Optimizing Production of a Dinoflagellate— a specific algicide for the control of red tide. Researchers already know that certain bacteria naturally produce compounds that are “algicidal”—lethal to at least some species of algae.

• Pushing (Red Tide) Over the Edge with Beer Derived Flavonoids. Researchers will test natural compounds from “brewer’s spent grain” (BSG)—a readily available byproduct of beer breweries—for their potential to fight red tide and degrade its brevetoxins. Scientists know that a related product, barley straw, produces compounds that can fight certain algal blooms as the straw decomposes over time.

• A Thin Shroud with Integrated algaecide to flocculate and sink red tide algae. Scientists aim to test an advanced technology designed to “smother” red tide, pull it to the bottom and treat it with algaecide in a targeted, controlled way.

• Fate and Effects of (Red Tide) Cells, Toxins, and Nutrients Following Clay Application for Bloom Control .

• The Feasibility of Removing and Composting Fish Carcasses to Mitigate Red Tide (blooms).

• Microbe-Lift Mitigation to examine the efficacy of Microbe-Lift, a biotechnology created by Ecological Laboratories, Inc., that utilizes a series of cultured microbes to enhance and restore aquatic ecosystems ranging from ponds, streams, rivers, and stormwater retention basins.

• Chemical-free Red Tide Mitigation Technology Utilizing UVC LEDs. UVC has been used in many industries for disinfection purposes, and UV lamps are frequently used in aquarium systems and small ponds to prevent the growth of algae. This project will investigate using solar panels to power a device that is triggered by specific levels of red tide.

• Controlled Release of Oxidants for Red Tide Treatment and Mitigation

• A Preliminary Study to Assess the Feasibility of a Nantechnology Approach to the Removal of red tide cells and brevetoxin from estuarine and Marine .

• Mitigation of Florida Red Tide via Activated Carbon.

• Efficacy of EVIE robot against red tide. A robotic vessel, nicknamed EVIE, will be tested in a mesocosm setting to determine its ability to a) find Florida red tide cells via a finely-tuned reflected-light sensor, and b) subsequently harvest cells via a nozzle, convert them to harmless biofuels, and store the product in the robot’s holding tank.

• Isolation of Natural Algicidal Bacteria Associated with Harmful Algal Blooms to Develop a Mitigation Strategy for Florida Red Tide.

(Source: Mote Marine Laboratory)

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Mote pushing forward red tide research

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