As I discovered in my local opportunities assignment, Red Tide has become a common occurrence along the Florida coastline. However, the organism responsible for Red Tide in Florida is caused by the algae K. Brevis.
Who: Anyone who lives in a coastal region along the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean is susceptible to Red Tide outbreaks. This algae is carried by ocean current and the gulf stream from the Gulf of Mexico up the Eastern sea-border of the United States.
What: Red Tide outbreaks are becoming more frequent and severe. Not to mention, the range in which these blooms are occurring have drastically increased in recent years.
Why: Increased pollution and high nutrient levels have resulted in more frequent blooms. In addition the algae has become more resistant to different environments.
Test:
Who:
After interviewing multiple sources, I discovered that Red Tide outbreaks affect coastal towns all over the United States. I even talked to a member of my family that lives in Hilton Head, SC that expressed their recent outbreaks of Red Tide. I believe that the impact of Red Tide is even broader than I originally thought. Although this is bad for people, it is a good sign from a problem-solving perspective.
What: I set out to discover if all Red Tide blooms were a problem and the specific problems that it creates for individuals. After conducting my interviews, I discovered that mild outbreaks of Red Tide often went unnoticed by most individuals. However, the more severe cases caused by warming ocean temperatures and a plethora of available nutrients created much worse blooms. These large outbreaks caused people that I interviewed respiratory problems and even stopped some of them from bringing their children near the beach. It is very likely that the elderly and children are the most impacted by these algae blooms.
Why: My interviews didn't yield much in this category. People seemed to believe that runoff and changing water parameters were to blame for the Red Tide blooms. I will have to conduct more independent research to see if there are more contributing factors.
Overall, I discovered that the elderly and children are most affected by Red Tide blooms. This tells me that they are my target audience more than healthy middle age adults. In addition, I learned that Florida is not the only state that has problems with Red Tide. Many of my interviews were conducted on people that live in Texas, South Carolina, and Virginia.
In all honesty, this is an opportunity that I would never have found by myself. After reading your article I started "Googling" about Red Tide and it is terrifying the impact that pollution is having on it. Your opportunity seems way more regional than local and I believe that there is room for a great business opportunity there. I don't know much about this industry but I believe that you will have to deal state-by-state with their own rules and regulations in order to develop your business.
ReplyDeleteHi Zane, I was very interested in reading your post because honestly I had never heard of Red Tide before and didn't know about its effects. I think that with the changing environment there is an even greater opportunity to assist communities with the issue so that the algae does not further damage ecosystems. I'm very interested to read more about your solution throughout the rest of this course!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if its possible for you to seek government funding to pursue an issue like this one. It affects people very hard, as you've stated, and is very damaging to the ecosystem. I would think that communities who understood the impact and were experiencing it would fight against this dilemma. Perhaps you could also research Red Tide in other countries, and learn how they deal with it.
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