The green color comes from a fluorescently tagged antibody that has been used to label the cells. Each green spherical area is a separate cell. The antibody is specific to Aureoumbra laguensis and confirms conclusively that we are dealing with the same species that was found in the bloom that lasted from 1989 to 1997. Photomicrograph (1000X) courtesy of Camee Hyatt (UTMSI).

A report documenting the brown tide's distribution in the Gulf of Mexico ( Villareal, T.A., T. Chirichella, and E.J. Buskey.  2004.  Regional distribution of the Texas Brown Tide (Aureoumbra lagunensis) in the Gulf of Mexico.  In:  Harmful Algae 2002.  K.A. Steidinger, J.H. Landsberg, C.R. Tomas, and G.A. Vargo (eds.), pp. 374-376.  Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Institute of Oceanography, and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. ) can be found here.