By March 10, the mysterious black water off the west coast of Florida had started to disperse and drift toward the Florida Keys. Although no one yet knows what caused the discoloration, divers in the area have found dead sponges and coral, which is indicative of an algae bloom.
Image by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, and the MODIS science team.
Mysterious black water appeared off the Gulf Coast of Florida in late winter 2002. The black water returned to the waters off Sanibel Island in August 2002.