When Red is Not Red according to what you Read but is not what you Saw

7-25-13 Red Tide, Persistent Doppler Reflectivity over Puget Sound (and a few scattered Earthquakes)

June 2013 Red Algae blooming currently in Puget Sound

7-25-13 Red Tide, Persistent Doppler Reflectivity over Puget Sound (and a few scattered Earthquakes)

I have been staring at Google Earth way too much lately.  Anyway, I decided to look at that strong reflectivity over Seattle, Washington that has been persistent.  I placed tabs last week where I noticed in the news there were a couple of beach closures in the Seattle area and red tide and a drowning to the North in the area of Red Tide in Canada.  I missed this headline in June:

Red algae blooms in Puget Sound not “red tide”

LYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Ecology said the red algae blooming currently in Puget Sound are harmless to people. Lab tests show the red-orange blooms are not the so-called “red tide,” which refers to paralytic shellfish poisoning. Reports of algae blooms are coming in from around the area, from Bainbridge Island to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The harmless red-orange algae is Noctiluca (nock-ti-LU-kah). Ecology officials said the single-celled micro-organism occurs normally this time of year. This type of plankton does not photosynthesize but gets its red color from the phytoplankton it eats. It may appear as large red-brown streaks along current and tidal convergence lines. Ecology officials thank the public for keeping them informed about the health of Puget Sound.Chopper 7 was over the bloom in Puget Sound on Thursday.

So the moral of the story is be careful what you read, especially on this blog.  And guys, don’t worry if you don’t believe me, my wife doesn’t always and neither do my kids.

Godspeed