A rapid, dense proliferation of certain marine microalgae that can discolor coastal water reddish-brown and release potent toxins harmful to fish, marine mammals, birds and, through contaminated shellfish, humans. Blooms are triggered by a combination of warm water, abundant nutrients, often from agricultural or urban runoff, and calm conditions that let the algae accumulate near the surface, and can cause mass fish kills and force the closure of shellfish beds.
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Red tide is the common name for a harmful algal bloom, typically one dominated by pigmented dinoflagellates or other algae that discolor coastal water; the two terms describe the same event.
Certain red tide events release biotoxins, such as domoic acid or brevetoxin, that are a documented direct cause of mass strandings of marine mammals and seabirds that ingest contaminated prey.
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