Spills · mystery_substance

Gulf of mexico off panama city, fl-st

Algal Bloom Incident; Gulf of Mexico Off Panama City, Fl-st · Andrews Bay · NOAAORR-8287

issued
2011-01-31 00:00Z
status
cancelled 2011-02-14 00:00Z
self-cancels
2011-02-14 00:00Z
authority
NOAA OR&R
sea
Gulf of Mexico
position
30.167, -85.700
source
incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z

Original warning text

Algal Bloom Incident; Gulf of Mexico off Panama City, FL-St. Andrews Bay.
Gulf of Mexico off Panama City, FL-St. Andrews Bay.
1. On Monday January 31, 2011, The NOAA SSC covering District 8 was notified of recent reports of unknown bright orange-pink substances in and around Panama City, FL. On January 27th USCG unit Panama City, FL investigated the report of an orange-pink substance floating in St. Andrews Marina, near Panama City, FL. The substance had no oily smell and in addition to floating, some of the material was present below the surface. It was also noted to be phosphorescent. A sample was taken but not sent off to be analysed for oil. On Sunday, January 30th, USCG received reports and photos of a similar material offshore of Panama City 6, 10 and 12 miles. Based on the description, the NOAA SSC suspected an algal bloom, which has since been confirmed as Noctiluca scintillans, a non-photosynthetic, bioluminescent, and generally non-toxic algae that commonly blooms at this time of year, as well as other [...]
2. THREAT: OTHER. COMMODITY: NOCTILUCA SCINTILLANS. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 0 GALLONS. TAGS: MYSTERY SUBSTANCE.
3. POSITION 30.167N 085.700W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 8287: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/8287

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