They were found in marine waters 12 hours after that. Some were found in canals within 8 hours and in the sea within 16 hours. Rose timed the viruses travel at 35 meters per hour. She attributes this speedy travel to the pumping action of tides around Key Largo. This is still fast enough for excreted viruses to dump into the Florida Bay within 76 hours.
Storms can also increase the speed of viruses.
This research relates to studies of the Florida Keys reef system by EMS undergraduates. This page was updated on Jan 26, 2001. If you are experiencing problems with this page, please contact the EMS Webmaster .