A multi-agency effort to study Fall 2012 West Florida Shelf Red Tide outbreak..

A multi-agency effort to study Fall 2012 West Florida Shelf Red Tide outbreak

SECOORA member University of South Florida (USF) College of Marine Science Ocean Circulation Group (OCG) scientists are in the midst of an inter-agency, rapid response effort undertaken to monitor, sample and study in real time the Fall 2012 west Florida shelf red tide outbreak.  This effort is a collaborative, multidisciplinary study done in cooperation with the USF OCG, USF Center for Ocean Technology (COT), USF Optical Oceanography Laboratory, Mote Marine Laboratory, Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association (GCOOS-RA) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).  This multi-agency response study leverages the expertise and resources of physical, biological and chemical oceanographers as well as engineers and resource management professionals.  The monitoring and prediction effort takes a comprehensive approach in utilizing all resources available including ocean gliders, surface drifters, optical sensors, real time weather buoys, remote sensing, modeling and direct sampling. GCOOS-RA funded the glider missions of  USF CMS glider Bass and MML glider Waldo. The glider, drifter tracks and associated data can be accessed via http://ooma.marine.usf.edu/CROW/ and http://ocgweb.marine.usf.edu/DrifterMaps/RedTideDrifters.php. The ability of these multiple agencies to quickly mobilize in a coordinated effort is essential to bringing all resources to bear on this unpredictable environmental issue.