← Back to Cards Gallery

Home / Cards Gallery / Red Tide

Threat

Red Tide

Harmful algal blooms use up oxygen and release toxins that harm sea life

Open in WebGIS

Watch and learn

In context

What it is

Harmful algal blooms use up oxygen and release toxins that harm sea life

Why it matters

Red Tide can disrupt marine habitats, species survival, and food-web stability. Its effects often spread beyond the original disturbance through connected ocean systems.

Explore and connect

Open the threat view to compare this card with mapped marine threats and broader ecosystem context.

Explore in WebGIS

Related ecoregions

Sea of Japan
Ecoregion
Sea of Japan
Temperate

The Sea of Japan lies between Japan, Russia, and Korea. Winters are freezing, summers are warm, and deep currents bring in oxygen and nutrients. Spring blooms line the coasts, but in summer the surface becomes a clear “ocean desert.” Winter storms and coastal upwelling mix the waters again, making it a sea of constant change.

California Current
Ecoregion
California Current
Temperate

The California Current runs south along the U.S. West Coast. Winds push surface water away, pulling deep, cold water full of nutrients up to the surface. This “upwelling” fuels blooms of plankton that feed fish, seabirds, and whales. Seasonal changes make it one of the richest seas on Earth.