- red tide
- nounseawater that is discolored by large numbers of certain dinoflagellates that produce saxitoxin
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noun: seawater discolored by the presence of large numbers of dinoflagellates (especially of the genera Peridinium and Gymnodinium) in a density fatal to many forms of marine life — called also red water* * *
a brownish-red discoloration of marine waters caused by the presence of enormous numbers of certain microscopic flagellates, esp. the dinoflagellates, that often produce a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in the tissues of shellfish, making them poisonous when eaten by humans and other vertebrates.[1900-05]* * *
red tide nounA bloom of red dinoflagellates which colours the sea, etc red• • •Main Entry: ↑red* * *
red tide,a reddish discoloration on the surface of seawater produced at times by the sudden clustering together of billions of one-celled organisms that are toxic to fish. Red tide appears in most waters of the tropics and semitropics around Africa, Asia, South America, and California, Texas, Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. »Unusually sultry weather plus an abundant rainfall appears to be the reason for Florida's latest red tide (Science News Letter).
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n. a discoloration of seawater caused by a bloom of toxic red dinoflagellates
Useful english dictionary. 2012.