1997年11月底和12月19—25日对同年11月中旬至12月底发生于广东饶平县柘林湾及南澳岛周围海域的大规模赤潮的生物学、生态学及其危害进行了调查。研究表明，此次赤潮的原因生物是棕囊藻Phaeocystispouchetii。这种赤潮生物在其生活史中有游泳单细胞和群体胶质囊2个生活阶段。游泳单细胞为球形或卵圆形，大小为6．0—7．2μm，有2根不等长的鞭毛和1根定鞭丝。群体胶质囊为球形或近球形，直径为110μm—2．6cm。直径在150μm以下的小胶质囊呈略似实心的球体，细胞分布不均，大小只有3．1－5．2μm；当直径大于200μm后，胶质囊已呈中空状，细胞均匀地分布在胶质囊表面，细胞大小增至62－7．4μm，群体胶质囊细胞内的2个林状叶绿体沿着细胞周壁相向嵌合。在赤潮高峰期，棕囊藻胶质囊遍布柘林湾，湾外的赤潮带达十数公里长，细胞密度最高为25×108cells／L，占浮游植物总细胞数的99．7％。此次赤潮的诱因主要是受1997—1998年度史上最强的厄尔尼诺现象的影响，导致我国东南沿海冬季气候反常，气温升高，东南风频。 In late November and December 19-25, 1997, the biology, ecology and harm of large-scale red tide occurring in the sea areas around Zhelin Bay and Nan’ao Island in Raoping County, Guangdong Province from mid November to the end of December of the same year were investigated. Studies have shown that the cause of this red tide is Phaeocystispouchetii. This red tide creature has two life stages of swimming single cells and colloidal glial cells in its life cycle. Swimming single-cell spherical or oval-shaped, size of 6.0-7.2μm, there are two unequal length flagella and a fixed whip. Colloidal glial mass is spherical or nearly spherical, with a diameter of 110μm-2.6cm. The microglia capsules with the diameter less than 150μm are slightly spheroid with uneven distribution of cells with a size of 3.1-5.2μm. When the diameter is larger than 200μm, the glial capsule has a hollow shape and the cells are evenly distributed On the surface of the glial capsule, the cell size increased to 62-7.4μm, and the two forest-like chloroplasts in the colloidal cells of the colony adhered to each other along the cell wall. At the peak of the red tide, the capsule of Cysta capsicas spreads over Zhelin Bay. The red tide outside the bay reaches ten kilometers long with the highest cell density of 25 × 108cells / L, accounting for 99.7% of the total phytoplankton cells. The causes of this red tide were mainly influenced by the strongest El Niño in 1997-1998 history, leading to an anomalous winter climate in the southeast coast of China, rising temperatures and southeasterly winds.