On the Prowl for Red Tide SARASOTA (WUSF) - There's no doubting it when red tide nears the shore - the acidic smell can attack the respiratory system. But when researchers want to find out what causes red tide, it can sometimes be hard to find. So Mote Marine Laboratory has developed a system of automated buoys and robots to automatically detect the algae blooms.

Speaking at USF, Mote's Gary Kirkpatrick says the red tide found in the Gulf of Mexico is more dangerous to humans than the other varieties.

"The brevetoxin is one of the the only ones that becomes airborne, so the Gulf of Mexico typically is the only place that suffers from respiratory irritation from harmful agal blooms," he says.

One of the automated robots - nicknamed "Waldo" - disappeared for 10 days this summer before resurfacing in the Gulf. Kirkpatrick says the $100,000 robot is still cheaper than sending out researchers in boats to patrol for red tide. © Copyright 2012, WUSF