The 2013 spring and summer red tide reason in New England is expected to be “moderate” according to NCCOS’s partner, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), forecast last month. Ocean and weather data from the Gulf of Maine buoys play an important role in this forecasting effort. When developing this new red tide forecast system, scientists depended on historical data from the buoys to develop and verify the model.
WHOI scientists helped develop and are testing buoy-mounted instruments to detect the cells of red tide-causing algae this summer. In the future, Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) buoys could carry these instruments and detect a red tide in real-time, which could significantly improve forecasting and management of red tide events in the Gulf of Maine. To learn more about red tides and associated research, monitoring and forecasting efforts in the Northeast, please visit the Northeast PSP website. Readers can access the NERACOOS press release here. For more information contact [email protected].
