Fluid Imaging IDs algae behind Florida state of emergency
Scarborough-based Fluid Imaging Technologies helped solve the mystery of an algal bloom off Florida’s east coast that caused some communities to declare a state of emergency.
A sample of the bloom taken from the St. Lucie River near Fort Pierce, Fla. was sent to Fluid Imaging, which then used its FlowCam Cyano device to identify the bacteria behind the bloom.
The FlowCam Cyano automatically detects, images and identifies thousands of individual algal cells of a sample in minutes and then differentiates between toxic and harmless algal cells. Proprietary software allows further characterization using 30 different parameters involving size, shape and color, according to the company.
The culprit identified by Fluid Imaging as behind the bloom? A single species of blue-green algae called Microcystis that is a cyanobacteria.
“It's very common for one species of cyanobacteria to take over a body of water to the exclusion of other species,” Harry Nelson, vice president of aquatic markets at Fluid Imaging, said in a release. “Algae blooms happen very quickly so it's important to understand the conditions that invite algae growth and monitor the water with an early detection system.”
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