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Just Kidding, That Wasn't Red Tide
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 9, 2010
Modified Sep 9, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 9, 2010
Modified Sep 9, 2010
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Last week we got the Coast Guard put out a red tide alert, saying a 10-mile stretch of red water had been spotted in New York Harbor. But now CityRoom reports that environmental officials are declaring that it wasn't The red tide after all.
After analyzing samples of water collected in the red-tinted area, they said “it’s hard to say definitively what the cause might have been. It could have just bloomed depending on the particular water conditions, the breakdown of plant life and the changing weather conditions, because it went from a long stretch of hot days to cooling down. At this time of year, that’s not terribly unusual.” But the condition was non-toxic, unlike a real red tide, and was simply attributed to phytoplankton.
And with that, feel free to swim, surf, and eat shellfish without any fear.
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Red Tide
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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