The mysterious brown and red coloration of the Bronx River south of Concrete Plant (see below, 8/16/08) has been identified as a bloom of the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium sp . Dr. Joe Rachlin and Dr. Barbara Warkentine analyzed samples provided by Rocking the Boat On-Water program director Chrissy Word and a student, Marcus Caceres. The bloom has been seen once before, in 2002, and also persisted for about 7 days. The short duration of the bloom should mean no long term effects. Eating shellfish from the Bronx River is never recommended, but shellfish should not be eaten from an area during such an occurrence as there could be more immediate health risks due to the possible toxicity of the bloom. For a summary of the events, visit, "The Whole River is Red".
loading...
