IN recent years it has become common to speak of the flocculation of clay by calcium salts as being anomalous, the particular anomaly being that whereas clay suspensions containing a little sodium ...

The tiny clay particles then combine with red tide cells, and as the cells become heavier, they fall to the bottom of the seafloor. Clay flocculation has been around for more than 30 years.

Mote researchers attempt a red tide mitigation effort called clay flocculation in Sarasota on Friday, July 16. Image: Courtesy Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.

By mixing clay with seawater and spraying it onto the surface of the water, the particles in the mixture sink and combine with red tide cells, burying them. Skip Navigation Share on Facebook ...