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Occurrence of Red Water off Peru

Abstract

DURING a cruise of the RV Anton Bruun on April 11, 1966, a large patch of red water about 100 sq. miles in area was encountered 100 miles offshore between Cabo Blanco and Punta Aguja, Peru. The cause of this was identified as the organism Cyclotrichium meunieri, a ciliate which has frequently been associated with red water occurrences elsewhere1–3. The colour of the water ranged from rust to nearly vermilion and was related to the degree of concentration of the ciliates at the surface; the ciliates seemed to be restricted to a depth of less than 1 m.

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RYTHER, J. Occurrence of Red Water off Peru. Nature 214, 1318–1319 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2141318a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2141318a0

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