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Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) Description Harmful Algal Blooms(HABs) include toxic and noxious phytoplankton (including Pfiesteria-like organisms) and benthic algae. Evidence suggests that, over the last few decades, the frequency and duration of HABs have been increasing nationally and worldwide. Formerly, only a few regions of the U.S. were affected by HABs, but now virtually every coastal state has reported major blooms. In many cases, blooms extend over large geographic areas and are composed of more than one harmful or toxic species. Furthermore, HABs are not unique to the United States and have attracted interest from many countries that have commercial and recreational activities in the coastal ocean. The following agencies support the U.S. ECOHAB program: the NOAA Coastal Ocean Program(COP), the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program, the EPA National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance, the NSF Directorate for Geosciences, Division of Ocean Sciences, the Department of Defense/Office of Naval Research, and the Office of Earth Science, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The EU-US Collaborative Programme on Harmful Algal Blooms For decades, HABs have been studied in relative isolation on both sides of the Atlantic. National and regional programs such as EUROHAB in Europe, and ECOHAB in the US have been launched to focus coordinated research, technologies, and shared resources on HABs, but these efforts have not included significant international collaboration. In recognition of the importance of scientific exchange among nations, the European Commission (EC) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) signed an agreement in October 2001 to foster collaboration, with HABs identified as one of several topics of common interest. The EC Environment and Sustainable Development Programme and the US NSF jointly funded a workshop in Trieste, Italy, in September 2002, to bring together scientists from both sides of the Atlantic to collectively assess the state of HAB science, to identify gaps in our knowledge, and to develop an international plan for cooperative, comparative studies. The workshop report outlines the rationale for the program. The workshop report can be found at http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/announcements/trieste-workshop.html. NSF has issued a proposal solication with a deadline of October 16, 2003 (click on "program announcement" button at bottom of page). External Links Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) Target Dates and Deadlines October 16, 2003
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Division of Ocean Sciences,
NSF