ISSUE
Among the many coastal issues facing the nation
today, harmful algal blooms (HABs) stand out as one of the most scientifically
complex and relevant. In the past, only a few regions of the U.S. were affected
by HABs, but now virtually every coastal state has reported major blooms.
These blooms may be responsible for more than $1 billion in losses in the
last two decades through direct impacts on coastal resources and communities.
HABs can cause human illness and death, alter marine habitats through shadIing
and overgrowth, adversely impact fish and other marine organisms, and close
many coastal businesses. The list of affected resources is growing but our
understanding of the biological, physical, and chemical processes that regulate
HABs is presently inadequate to cope with the problem.
APPROACH
The interagency program Ecology and Oceanography
of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) supports research on the development of HAB
forecasts, ideally from bloom development, to develop persistence, toxicity,
and distribution estimates through time. With a clear understanding of how
physical and biological processes interact to promote HAB development, reliable
models can be developed that can identify systems and areas potentially susceptible
to outbreaks. This will foster rapid response by monitoring agencies and health
departments to safeguard public health, local economies, and fisheries. Further
identification of bloom-favorable conditions will also permit management of
specific environmental factors to reduce bloom impacts.
NOAA (COP, Office of Protected Resources, and
National Sea Grant Program), National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Naval Research, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration
are co-sponsors of the ECOHAB program. Funding is distributed through competitive,
peer-review of proposals received in repsonse to annual funding announcements.
Efforts include process-related field and laboratory studies to develop bio-physical
models to address the gaps in knowledge related to mechanisms that regulate
harmful algal species. While HABs occur throughout US coastal waters, species
are often isolated in one or two coastal areas as a function of basin configuration,
water circulation, and the physiology and behavior of the species. As a result,
defining conditions for bloom expression, impact, and eventual mitigation
requires research in several systems. Regional studies focusing on physical
and biological conditions favoring the development and expression of toxicity
in several HAB species have begun for Alexandrium (paralytic shellfish
poisoning) in the Gulf of Maine, Gymnodinium breve (neurotoxic shellfish
poisoning) in the Gulf of Mexico, brown tide organisms in Long Island (Aureococcus),
and Pfiesteria-like organisms in the mid-Atlantic states. In addition,
targeted research projects have also been initiated along the U.S. coast,
including California, Washington, Alaska (Pseudo-nitzschia and Alexandrium),
Connecticut (Prorocentrum minimum, Gyrodinium aureolum),
and Guam (macroalgal overgrowth).
The Monitoring and Event Response of Harmful
Algal Blooms program (MERHAB), is now housed in CSCOR/COP after an initial
period in NOAA's Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA). MERHAB
co-sponsors HAB monitoring projects in States with identified HAB problems
and existing monitoring programs that can be expanded to include HABs and
HAB-related parameters (e.g., nutrients, plankton, circulation, etc.). Presently,
there are three MERHAB projects in place in MD, FL, and WA. All three projects
generate region-specific water quality and plankton information for the National
Oceanographic Data Center HAB Database and eventual HAB forecast model development.
Additionally, a suite of new techniques are being tested for possible inclusion
in future state monitoring projects across the nation. CSCOR is the lead for
the U.S. HAB Federal Event Response program, which is also included in MERHAB.
Through this program, analytical services, ships/planes, local expertise,
and identified non-governmental groups with specific skills can be mobilized
for unexpected HAB events that overwhelm local jurisdictions. This program
has been involved with two sea lion events in southern California (1998, 2000),
a Florida panhandle event for bottlenose dolphins in 1999, and the current
Florida sea turtle epidemic.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
COP has funded HAB research focusing on brown
tide in Long Island since 1996. The work in Long Island has produced data
indicating several possible growth factors and ecological processes that may
contribute to bloom development. Such factors include the role of trace metals
in growth of the bloom organism (Aureococcus); the ability of Aureococcus
to use "non-traditional" algal nutrients; and the role of organisms consuming
Aureococcus in the persistence of brown tide blooms. Regional studies
in the Gulf of Maine and the eastern Gulf of Mexico are developing biophysical
models that link regional circulation and the biology, ecology, and behavior
of the toxic HAB species (Alexandrium and Gymnodinium breve,
respectively). The models will advance towards developing operational forecasts
of bloom landfall in the future. Several target studies are defining growth
requirements for these organisms as well as other toxin-producing species
from the West Coast and the mid-Atlantic States. Additionally, identification
techniques have been developed for a number of the toxic species, including
Pfiesteria, thus permitting detection of the populations in the field
and providing an early-warning capability.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Control, prevention and mitigation of HABs have
been identified by the research and resource management communities as critical
areas to be addressed in the future. An area of particular interest includes
the development of technologies for routine control of HABs. Future research
in ECOHAB will examine the effectiveness and impacts of these strategies on
HABs and the surrounding environment as well as expanding general knowledge
of the interactions between HAB ecology and the physics and water quality
of its local environment.
MANAGEMENT AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS
HABs are increasing in number and intensity
in U.S. coastal waters, generating serious problems for living resources,
fishing, tourism, and human health. Because so little is known about the causes
of HABs, Federal and state responses have been cautious and often fragmented.
NOAA's Coastal Ocean Program effort in ECOHAB with its NOAA partners (NMFS,
OAR) and NSF, ONR, EPA, and NASA (see above) is providing the first national
funding opportunity for HAB research to develop an understanding of the population
dynamics and food chain impacts of HABs. Through recently implemented NOAA/EPA-state
partnerships in HAB Monitoring, Assessment, and Event Response, information
gained from HAB studies are being provided to appropriate state and Federal
agencies responsible for minimizing adverse effects on the economy, public
health, and marine ecosystems. This will be further supplemented by incorporation
of the models derived from ECOHAB projects to provide early forecasting abilities
as well as providing a basis for testing the effectiveness of control strategies.
All of these activities will provide more rapid and effective response capabilities
to these increasingly frequent and damaging coastal events.
Related Websites
For more information, contact:
Dr. David Johnson, Director
CSCOR/Coastal Ocean Program
phone: 301-713-3338
e-mail: coastalocean@noaa.gov
Last Updated:
December 19, 2001
