Red Tide is called the Cell from Hell . It is deadly to the human race and to marine life . It is a type of algae that gives off a toxin deadly to humans and some animals.

Red Tide is found on the Gulf Coast in Florida as well as other areas of the world. Any human that comes within one-hundred yards of this disease could be infected. One scientist was studying the toxin and got something in her eye and rubbed it . Not thinking she rubbed her eye without taking off her gloves . She got infected with Pfiesteria which is the algae that produces the toxin off.

The Red Tide comes once a year . It has also been found in North Carolina ,where a fisherman was fishing. He stuck his hand in the water and was contaminated by the algae and was infected with Pfiesteria toxin. Right now there is no cure for pfiesteria and more and more people are getting infected! Scientists are getting scared . Everyday more money is put into this research!

Phytoplankton gives off organic carbons by photosythesis. Plankton Blooms are another form of the Red Tide. Plankton Blooms are described as a rapid and marked increase in the local population of plankton. The best way to study a Plankton Bloom is to see how they occur in an isolated body of water, such as a lake or bay. Plankton activity is low in the winter. This is because of the lack of sunshine in the winter, and the plankton needs the sun to grow its cells. During the Red Tide there is little oxgen in the water . Therefor the fish die and float on top of the water. Also the water turns red. Most people think that the water is red becasue of blood from the fish.

This is what a cell of red tide looks like.

During a bloom of Red Tide this is what the water looks like.