MSGID: 1:317/3 63efc0be   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   February 17, 2023 - Colors of the Coast of Florida   
      
      Colors off the Coast   
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      Jewel-toned waters created a bright halo around much of Florida on   
      February 14, 2023, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging   
      Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a   
      true-color image of the region.   
      
      Most of the radiant blues and greens can be seen floating in the Gulf   
      of Mexico off of Florida’s western coast, part of a swatch stretching   
      from Apalachicola on the Florida Panhandle to Florida Bay. Florida Bay   
      sits between the Everglades and the Keys at the western tip of the   
      state. A band of slightly duller tones also colors the Atlantic Ocean   
      between Jacksonville (north) and Fort Pierce (south). Bright peacock   
      blue in the southeast section of the image surrounds the Bahamas.   
      
      While the color surrounding the Bahamas are a daily occurrence caused   
      by the shallowness of the underwater banks surrounding the islands, the   
      colors in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic are more unusual. They are   
      almost certainly primarily caused by sediment pouring off the land or   
      stirred up by waves over the relatively shallow water of the West   
      Florida Shelf after a strong mid- to upper-level cyclone passed over   
      the state on February 12. Sediment appears tan as it floats at the   
      surface of water, but changes color as it sinks, first to green and   
      then to blue.   
      
      Phytoplankton, microscopic plant-like organisms, are also likely   
      contributing a little color. These algae-like organisms live in the   
      waters in this location year-round, and when conditions are favorable   
      can reproduce explosively to cause large, colorful, blooms that are   
      easily seen from space. Sediment carries nutrients, which creates a   
      favorable environment for phytoplankton growth.   
      
      One notable type of phytoplankton is an organism called Karenia brevis,   
      which is the cause of “red tide”. As it grows and spreads, K. brevis   
      can release a toxin, or rather a cocktail of toxins, called   
      “brevotoxins”. At very low levels, the organism is harmless, but in   
      high concentrations a bloom of red tide can be deadly, especially to   
      fish, dolphin, sea turtles, and manatees. It can cause respiratory and   
      immune problems in people, and when people eat shellfish that have   
      consumed K. brevis, it can make people quite sick. Red tide has been   
      reported along parts of the West Coast of Florida during much of   
      February. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation   
      Commission, during the past week K. brevis was detected in 135 samples   
      from and offshore of Southwest Florida and one from Northwest Florida.   
      High levels (greater than 100,000 cells per liter of water) were   
      detected in 58 samples from Southwest Florida, including Manatee   
      County, Sarasota County, Charlotte County, and offshore of Lee County.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 2/14/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (721.3 KB),  500m (1.8 MB),  250m (3.8 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-02-17   
       
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