Image : In Computer Models and Seafloor Observations, Researchers See Potential for Significant 2008 "Red Tide" Season

model forecast of spring 2008 harmful algae

These panels show the results of four different runs of a computer simulation of the cell concentrations of Alexandrium fundyense under four different weather scenarios. All four scenarios were initiated from the cyst map obtained in late 2007; the differences in predicted bloom patterns are determined by the weather and ocean conditions observed in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. Those years provide a range of conditions from major blooms to intermediate levels to very week blooms. Note that in all cases, the Alexandrium cells are abundant on a regional basis, but not necessarily close to the shoreline. (Graphic by Dennis McGillicuddy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Ruoying He, North Carolina State University)

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Last updated: January 22, 2013