Combining satellite-derived chlorophyll-a data and high-resolution dubaisat-1 data to detect and monitor red tide outbreaks in the Arabian Gulf

Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column, or “bloom”. Red tide outbreaks are the result of an influx of a type of toxic algal bloom turning the water to a reddish color which can devastate marine plant and animal life. Red tide may cause a number of negative effects including the spread of bad smell in the air resulting from the organic decomposition of dead plant algae, death of large quantities of fishes and crustaceans, disturbance of fishing operations and suspending desalination plants operations. Recent red tide outbreaks have caused the closure of a number of beaches and have severely affected the fishery industry in the UAE (figure 1).