While many of us may be familiar with the term Red Tides, this usage is becoming some what undesirable among many, particularly among those in the worlds of science and academia who are favoring the term Harmful Algal Blooms, sometimes referred to as HAB's. The two main objections to the use of the term “Red Tides” to describe the phenomenon of increased blooms of phytoplankton in the water column are, of course, related to the two parts of the term itself.

The Problem With “Red”:

When certain species of phytoplankton, commonly called algae, begin to grow rapidly they form very thick and very dense colonies in the water column fairly close to the surface. When these algae are red in color it is highly visible, even eerily so, hence why the name Red Tides was coined. The problem with this; however, is that not all of the species of algae involved in this process are red. Some are brown, purple and pinkish, or even green which means that there may be more of a “purple tide” or a “brown tide” or in some cases there may not even be a significant change in colorization at all when the algae are similar in color to the water in which they are in.

The Problem With “Tides”:

The second objection to the term of Red Tides is due to the fact that this occurrence does not actually involve the process of the tides themselves so the use of the term Red Tides can be somewhat misleading from a scientific point of view. Tides deal with the physical movement of the water, even of the planet where as the problem with harmful algal blooms is an organism growing in the water. Tides refer to a physical process where as the occurrence of the blooms of harmful algae is a biological issue.

In some cases the algal bloom itself is not actually harmful, in which case, this occurrence is simply referred to as an algal bloom. But this points out another benefit of using the term Harmful Algal Bloom over that of Red Tides which could be that by using the term “harmful” it will make people more aware of the problems that this growth of algae causes not only to the marine environment and ecosystems of the effected areas both on and off shore. It could also bring to light the risks to the general health of human beings living in these areas who can suffer from a wide range of respiratory and other health problems associated with occurrences of the harmful algal blooms. Since these occurrences of are caused by pollution and run off from agriculture and other human endeavors, perhaps if we refocus our attentions on the harm caused by these cases of rapid algae colonization people will become more aware of this very serious problem and do more to protect their environment and themselves from the harmful algal blooms.

If you want to learn more about the Harmful Algal Blooms, their causes, and how to prevent them check out my article What are Red Tides at http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/3739... or visit the following resources:

Harmful Algae:
http://www.whoi.edu/redtide
Texas HAB's Informational Page:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/environconcerns/hab
Impact of Climate Change on Harmful Algal Blooms:
http://www.scitopics.com/Impacts_of_Climate_Change_on_Harmful_Algal_Bloo...
Water Encyclopedia: Harmful Algal Blooms:
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/A-Bi/Algal-Blooms-Harmful.html