Algal toxins are a growing concern worldwide. Rapid assessment test strips are a newer technology and their accuracy in detecting toxins in different lakes with different phytoplankton and toxins present is unknown. This data release is supported by our testing of toxin test strips. This research took place in Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. The research will indicate whether these test strips are accurate for this system, and hopefully lay the foundation for a cost-effective harmful algal blooms (HABs) monitoring and communication tool for Voyageurs National Park and other parks. The utility of the test strips in this system may lead to broader applications, for instance in other inland systems like the nearby Lake of the Woods and Isle Royale National Park or other northern temperate lakes.

Multiple linear regression models were developed using data collected in 2016 and 2017 from three recurring bloom sites in Kabetogama Lake in northern Minnesota. These models were developed to predict concentrations of cyanotoxins (anatoxin-a, microcystin, and saxitoxin) that occur within the blooms. Virtual Beach software (version 3.0.6) was used to develop four models: two cyanotoxin mixture (MIX) models and two microcystin (MC) models. Models include those using readily available environmental variables (for example, wind speed and specific conductance) and those using additional comprehensive variables (based on laboratory analyses). Many of the independent variables were averages over a certain time period prior to a sample date, whereas other independent variables were lagged between 4 and 8 days. Funding for this work was provided by the U.S Geological Survey – National Park Service Partnership and the U.S. Geological Survey Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substance Hydrology and Contaminant Biology). The resulting model equations and final datasets are included in this data release while an associated child item model archive includes all the files needed to run and develop these VB models.

Multiple linear regression models were developed using data collected in 2016 and 2017 from three recurring bloom sites in Kabetogama Lake in northern Minnesota. These models were developed to predict concentrations of cyanotoxins (anatoxin-a, microcystin, and saxitoxin) that occur within the blooms. Virtual Beach software (version 3.0.6) was used to develop four models: two cyanotoxin mixture (MIX) models and two microcystin (MC) models. Models include those using readily available environmental variables (for example, wind speed and specific conductance) and those using additional comprehensive variables (based on laboratory analyses). Many of the independent variables were averages over a certain time period prior to a sample date, whereas other independent variables were lagged between 4 and 8 days. Funding for this work was provided by the U.S Geological Survey – National Park Service Partnership and the U.S. Geological Survey Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substance Hydrology and Contaminant Biology). The resulting model equations and final datasets are included in this data release while an associated child item model archive includes all the files needed to run and develop these VB models.

The EPA National Coastal Condition Assessment (NCCA) is a nation-wide survey of coastal and estuarine water quality. During the 2015 EPA NCCA, samples were collected for analysis of algal toxins and cyanotoxins at the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL) at the U.S. Geological Survey Kansas Water Science Center (KSWSC) by liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The 542 samples collected from the Great Lakes were analyzed for anatoxin-a, cylindrospermopsin, domoic acid, 10 microcystin congeners, nodularin, and okadaic acid. A subset of samples were also analyzed for dinophysistoxin-1, dinophysistoxin-2, gymnodimine, pectenotoxin-2, and 13-desmethyl spirolide c.

Cyanobacteria known to produce cyanotoxins have been reported worldwide. As monitoring efforts have improved, they have been detected in not only freshwater, but also in estuary and marine waters. To assess the occurrence of cyanotoxins and algal toxins in California estuaries, the NOAA MERHAB funded project collected samples monthly from 11 Californian estuary locations, with 5 locations sampled in 2016 as event response. This data release includes liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) results for 21 cyanotoxins and algal toxins in estuary samples collected from California in 2016-2017.

Cyanobacteria known to produce cyanotoxins have been reported worldwide. As monitoring efforts have improved, they have been detected in not only freshwater, but also in estuary and marine waters. To assess the occurrence of cyanotoxins and algal toxins in California estuaries, the NOAA MERHAB funded project collected samples monthly from 11 Californian estuary locations, with 5 locations sampled in 2016 as event response. This data release includes liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) results for 21 cyanotoxins and algal toxins in estuary samples collected from California in 2016-2017.

This data release provides phytoplankton environmental DNA data and cyanotoxin gene qPCR data from an algal bloom at Ash River Boat Docks on Kabetogama Lake, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, USA (USGS site ID 482603092511801) collected in 2021 and analyzed by the commercial laboratory Jonah Ventures. We sampled cyanobacteria over a 24-hour period at Ash River Boat Docks in Kabetogama Lake, along with photosynthetically active radiation, to assess the relation between sunlight and these cyanobacteria. Sixteen environmental samples and three quality assurance replicates were collected from two sites, one at the end of the dock and one at the shoreline, between September 9, 2021 and September 10, 2021.

This data release provides phytoplankton and fish environmental DNA (eDNA) and cyanotoxin biosynthesis gene abundance data from an algal bloom at Ash River Boat Docks on Kabetogama Lake (USGS site ID 482603092511801) collected between September 12 and September 13, 2023. Algal bloom samples were collected every three hours over a 24-hour period at two sites, one at the end of a dock and one on the adjacent shoreline. Two quality assurance replicates were collected. Additionally, nine algal bloom samples were collected from an isolated chamber located near the shoreline sampling location in an effort to reduce variability caused by potential wave action in the lake. Phytoplankton and fish assemblage composition was determined through eDNA sequencing techniques using the same filtered algal bloom samples. Phytoplankton eDNA yielded sequences from cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae, while the fish eDNA yielded sequences from mammals and birds in addition to sequences from fish. Cyanotoxin biosynthesis genes for microcystin (mcyE gene), anatoxin (anaC gene), saxitoxin (sxtA gene), and cylindrospermopsin (cyn gene) were quantified.

This data release contains dissolved cyanotoxin concentrations for microcystins (MC), cylindrospermopsins (CYL), anatoxins (ATX), and saxitoxins (STX) assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry or tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS and LC-MS/MS, respectively) in extracts from SPATT (n=95) and DGT samplers (n=10) deployed on three Finger Lakes (Owasco, Seneca, and Skaneateles) between June and November 2019. Relative percent contributions of microcystin congeners are also provided for samples analyzed by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS. Solid phase adsorption toxin tracking (SPATT) and diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) are types of passive environmental samplers containing porous synthetic resin beads that adsorb and concentrate cyanotoxins over time. SPATT and DGT samplers are relatively inexpensive to construct and have been widely demonstrated to adsorb a range of cyanotoxins in different environments. These samplers can be deployed in water bodies for time periods ranging from hours to weeks and, upon extraction and analysis, provide a semi-quantitative, relative dissolved cyanotoxin concentration that is calculated based on the deployment length.

In cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) used various field and laboratory methods to determine the presence and concentration of cyanobacteria, cyanotoxins, and taste-and-odor compounds in selected Texas water bodies. This data release documents the results from water-quality samples collected from 12 water bodies in Texas during water year 2020 (WY20) and 2021 (WY21). A water year is defined as the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30 and is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Both qualitative and quantitative field and laboratory methods were performed. Analyses included phytoplankton taxonomy, measurements of phytoplankton biomass, and concentrations of cyanotoxins, taste-and-odor compounds, and photosynthetic pigments. Water-quality samples were also collected to provide supporting data and document existing conditions. These supporting data included dissolved solids, major ions, nutrients, and organic carbon. Water-quality samples were analyzed for total cyanotoxin concentrations (anatoxin, cylindrospermopsin, domoic acid, microcystin [total and 10 congeners], nodularin, okadaic acid, and saxitoxin), taste-and-odor compound concentration (2-Methylisoborneo [MIB] and geosmin), chlorophyll a, pheophytin a, major ions (calcium, chloride, fluoride, magnesium, potassium, silica, sodium, and sulfate), and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, and multiple species of each nutrient). Analyses of cyanobacterial and cyanotoxin gene concentrations are included. An In-Situ Aqua TROLL multiparameter sonde was deployed concurrently with a YSI EXO2 multiparameter sonde to provide two sets of field values that can be compared. Each reservoir had one sampling site. At each site, depth-integrated samples were collected using a peristaltic pump integrating through the photic zone. The photic zone is the depth when measured irradiance is 1 percent of the irradiance measured at the surface of the water column. Water-quality field properties were measured using the multiparameter sondes at 1-foot intervals in the water column through the photic zone (the upper layer of a water body where there is sufficient sunlight penetration to support photosynthesis), then at 5-foot intervals to the bottom of the water column. Three rapid-assessment field kits were used to determine semi-quantitative values of three cyanotoxins (anatoxin, cylindrospermopsin, and microcystin) at each sampling site. Chlorophyll-a and pheophytin-a were analyzed by the Trinity River Authority Central Laboratory in Dallas, Texas. Cyanobacterial and cyanotoxin genes were analyzed by the USGS Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory in Columbus, Ohio. The USGS Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory in Lawrence, Kansas analyzed for cyanotoxins and taste-and-odor compounds. PhycoTech, Inc. in St. Joseph, Michigan analyzed phytoplankton taxonomy and biomass. Taxonomic names within this data release are from PhycoTech's taxonomic naming convention and may differ from the taxonomic names listed in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System database (ITIS, 2022). Engineering Performance Solutions in Jacksonville, Florida analyzed for MIB and geosmin. Samples were analyzed for suspended solids, nutrients, and major ions by the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) in Denver, Colorado. Water-quality field properties (water temperature, dissolved-oxygen concentration, pH, specific conductance, turbidity, chlorophyll florescence (RFU & density), phycocyanin florescence (RFU & density), irradiance, and Secchi depth) were also measured at each sampling site. NWQL terms "parameter codes" and "parameter descriptions" were retained in the water-quality dataset when referring to water-quality field properties and constituents.