Background on Brown Tide
Blooms, Aureococcus anophagefferens (A.a.)
Massive brown tide blooms,
caused by the rapid growth of a minute pelagophycean
alga (ca. 3 µm), Aureococcus anophagefferens,
were first observed in 1985 along the northeast coast
in non-contiguous bays in Narragansett Bay, RI, Peconic
Bay and Great South Bay systems of Long Island, NY
and caused the devastation of the scallop industry
in L.I. These blooms were suspected in Barnegat Bay,
NJ at the same time, because of the yellow-brown discoloration
of the water, but were not confirmed.
In 1995, brown tide blooms
were first documented in Little Egg Harbor (in southern
Barnegat Bay) Tuckerton, NJ and were associated with
the reduction in growth of hard clams, Mercenaria
mercenaria, at a commercial aquaculture facility.
Brown tide blooms were also reported in New Jersey's
Barnegat Bay in 1997 and 1999. While they are not
considered to be a human health threat (in terms of
bathing or seafood consumption), they may cause significant
negative impacts to shellfish (hard clams, mussels,
scallops) and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAVs).
There are several hypotheses
concerning the promotion of brown tide blooms but
they don't seem to be associated with inputs of inorganic
nutrients - which promote other algal blooms. However,
multiple ecological factors are associated with A.a.
blooms including reduced estuarine flushing rates,
elevated salinities, meteorological forcing unusual
winter and spring drought periods, iron, and organic
nutrients.
