Invasion of the Red Tide in North Carolina Coastal Waters

摘要

The red tide outbreak of 1987 was disastrous to the North Carolina shellfish industry. Although this appears to have been a singular event in remembered history, it is entirely possible that it happened previously to some lesser degree and moreover that it could happen again. The possibility of a future outbreak of the red tide in North Carolina coastal waters hinges on the sequential occurrence of a set of specific biological, meteorological and physical oceanographic conditions. Since red tide outbreaks are a common occurrence on the west Florida shelf then the assumption is that conditions there are a contributory factor. The occurrence of a high pressure system over the northern Gulf of Mexico coupled with a dinoflagellate outbreaks on the south Florida Gulf coast appear to be essential to red tide outbreak on the N.C. coasts.