The red tide in Miami-Dade confirmed, some beaches are closed

Miami-Dade closed the beaches north of Haulover before dawn on Thursday morning after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of a red tide in the waters of the ocean, while seaweed Toxic gases were spreading from Gulf waters to the Atlantic, resulting in an environmental and tourism crisis in more Florida.

Laboratory tests have confirmed an "average concentration" of algae linked to the red tide off Haulover Park, according to a statement released Monday morning by Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

Further south, the tests off Miami Beach and Key Biscayne ranged from very low to low. The levels were too low to allow for the rapid closure of beaches south of Haulover.

Haulover Inlet is located in North Miami-Dade, around 10800 Collins Ave., north of Bal Harbor.

Red tide is rare on the east coast of Florida, but was confirmed in Palm Beach County on Monday after beachgoers complained of toxic algae-related symptoms. The beaches were closed on Sunday.

This discovery prompted expanded tests along the Atlantic coast, including four beaches in Miami-Dade County and parts of Broward County, as well as waters about two miles offshore.

"The county received Wednesday results indicating that high levels of red tide-related algae have been detected in our area," said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez. "Although results from three sampling areas off Miami Beach and Crandon Park have been reported in a very low to low range, the results of samples taken outside of Haulover Park have been reported in a range of average concentration. "

The Miami-Dade Beach Patrol began asking people to leave Haulover on Thursday morning.

"We just came here to go to the beach, and the beach watchman said that it was supposed to be hard to breathe," said Britta Toennies, a Danish tourist residing in the Bay Harbor Islands . "So, he's telling people not to be on the beach."

While the news was flying in the air, Toennies and her colleague, Jenny Henson, announced that they were going to follow her advice to head to the sand that was not covered by the rainy day. county notice.

"We were only talking about South Beach," Henson said.

It is not known if the red tide has already appeared in the county before. As tides of red tides form regularly in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists believe that they are routed to the Atlantic coast by the Florida Current, which lies further off the Miami-Dade than Palm counties Beach. Coastal currents may also have resulted in algae south of Palm Beach County.

"You can have coastal currents going in the opposite direction and going south," said Larry Brand, an algae expert at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami. "That's how you can form islands like Miami Beach."

Although the amounts found at Haulover are moderate, they are high enough to trigger problems such as respiratory symptoms and fish death, he said.

Its duration depends on the amount of algae, winds and currents. If it is displaced by the coastal currents, it is possible that the situation is deteriorating along the beaches to the south, like that of Crandon Park, he said.

Biscayne Bay is another source of concern. If the red tide enters the bay where the pollution that feeds the algae is high, it could stay longer.

"If he is transported to Biscayne Bay, he can establish a population for a while," he said. "At the end of the day, there is still so much uncertainty about the red tide. We can not predict it very well and after things happen, we try to explain it. "

Broward County is still waiting for the results of the waters collected along its beaches, Jennifer Jurado, director of environmental planning, said Thursday morning.

Thursday's discovery marks a significant escalation from a crisis until recently confined to the west coast. Local authorities began to fear test confirmations after the spread of algae in Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucia counties, where beaches were closed this week and fish began to die.

Scientists believe that the blooms, first seen in the Gulf of Mexico off Sarasota nearly a year ago, have been swept away by the current of the Gulf Loop, which connects to the Florida Current. and heads north along the Atlantic coast. In August and September, satellites from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration detected traces of algae to the west of the remote Marquesas Islands, near Dry Tortugas, suggesting that they could have run south of the Keys.

Red tide is linked to health problems, including breathing problems. The county's opinion urges "people with serious or chronic respiratory diseases to avoid red tide areas".

Follow Jenny Staletovich on Twitter @jenstaletovich