This archive information package contains inputs to, and outputs from the NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System (HAB-OFS) for the Lake Erie region in the form of seasonal bulletin documents and processed satellite imagery in GeoTIFF format, beginning in 2017 and continuing to the present. The HAB-OFS produces daily forecasts for cyanobacteria blooms (blue-green algae) in Lake Erie. The source data are updated at least once daily and are available as a bulletin (pdf) for download as needed. The forecasts contain an analysis of the location of cyanobacteria blooms, as well as forecasts of transport, mixing, scum formation and bloom decline based on the analysis of information from data providers.

Measurements of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, and Great Lake regions during 2006.

Blooms of nuisance and toxic cyanobacteria, referred to as cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms (cHABs), occur seasonally in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, and pose a threat to human health, affect the quality of life, and significantly degrade the ecosystem. NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), University of Michigan, started regular water quality monitoring of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron in 2012. Since that time the monitoring effort has expanded to incorporate additional parameters and sample locations. Physical, chemical, and biological water quality data were collected during repeated sampling trips to a set of stations before, during, and after HAB events (from May - October). Data for these discrete sampling events include: Secchi disk depth, Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD), CTD specific conductivity, CTD beam attenuation, CTD beam transmission, CTD dissolved oxygen, CTD photosynthetically active radiation, turbidity, particulate microcystin, dissolved microcystin, extracted phycocyanin, extracted chlorophyll-a, total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus, soluble reactive phosphorus, ammonia, nitrate + nitrite, urea, particulate organic carbon, particulate organic nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, chromophoric dissolved organic material absorbance at 400 nm, total suspended solids, and volatile suspended solids. The bulk water quality parameters were analyzed via established techniques and procedures for routine water quality monitoring and analysis (APHA 1992, 1998, 2017). This research was funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to support the projects “Decision Support Tools to Link Predictions to HABs and Source Water Protection”, Synthesis Observation and Response (SOAR), and Real-time Environmental Coastal Observation Network (ReCON).

This collection contains inputs to, and outputs from the experimental status NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System (HAB-OFS) for the Gulf of Mexico in the form of documents, processed satellite imagery in HDF4 format, image files, and Geographic Information System (GIS) files, beginning on 2000-09-21, ending on 2003-12-22. The HAB-OFS is operated by the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services to produce forecast bulletins for harmful algal blooms (HABs) of Karenia brevis (red tide) in the Gulf of Mexico. The bulletins contain an analysis of ocean color satellite imagery, field observations, models, public health reports and buoy data and forecasts of potential HAB transport, intensification and associated respiratory irritation based on the analysis of information from data providers. The bulletins are issued twice weekly during an active HAB and once weekly during a non-HAB period to a list of subscribers.

This collection contains inputs to, and outputs from the experimental status NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System (HAB-OFS) for the Gulf of Mexico in the form of documents, processed satellite imagery in HDF4 format, image files, and Geographic Information System (GIS) files, beginning on 2000-09-21, ending on 2003-12-22. The HAB-OFS is operated by the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services to produce forecast bulletins for harmful algal blooms (HABs) of Karenia brevis (red tide) in the Gulf of Mexico. The bulletins contain an analysis of ocean color satellite imagery, field observations, models, public health reports and buoy data and forecasts of potential HAB transport, intensification and associated respiratory irritation based on the analysis of information from data providers. The bulletins are issued twice weekly during an active HAB and once weekly during a non-HAB period to a list of subscribers.

Listing of harmful algal bloom occurrences by waterbody. Data from 2012-2018 available at https://data.ny.gov/Energy-Environment/Harmful-Algal-Bloom-Statewide-Occurrence-Summary-2/qtg2-hjth.

Multiple Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB) (K. brevis) data sets were obtained for this data layer, including Harmful Algal BloomS Observing System data (HABSOS) from NCEI (1953-2018) and the NOAA HAB Operational Forecast System Dataset (2007-2018). Data includes samples from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), and the HAB Monitoring Database. Data were combined and reviewed for erroneous entries. Duplicate data from the resulting database were deleted, leaving a total of 155,307 observations. For the purpose of this K. brevis layer, only data from 2000-2018 were used due to sampling biases. An 8 square kilometer hexagonal grid was created covering the Gulf of Mexico and eastern Florida. Each year between 2000-2018 was evaluated separately. If a grid cell contained an observation that registered a value of over 100,000 cells/L (the lethal toxicity level for finfish), the grid cell received a value of '1‘. All other grid cells received a value of '0’ to represent observations below the lethal level of concern to fish. After all years were evaluated, the values for each year were totaled to obtain a resulting frequency value for that grid cell, representing the number of years that grid cell had values greater than or equal to 100,000 cells/L for the years 2000-2018.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are overgrowths of algae or cyanobacteria in water and can be harmful to humans and animals directly via toxin exposure or indirectly via changes in water quality and related impacts to ecosystems services, drinking water characteristics, and recreation. While HABs occur frequently throughout the United States, the driving conditions behind them are not well understood, especially in flowing waters. In order to facilitate future national model development and characterization of HABs, this data release publishes a synthesized and cleaned collection of HABs-related water quality and quantity data for river and stream sites across the United States. It includes nutrients, major ions, sediment, physical properties, streamflow, chlorophyll and other types of water data. This data release contains files of harmonized data from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS). Continuous sensor data for 132 parameters (35 of which returned data) between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2022 were downloaded from NWIS programmatically. All data were harmonized into a shared format and grouped by generic parameters; data are in files named "daily_{parameter_grp}.csv", and the "pcode_group_xwalk.csv" maps parameter codes to parameter groups. Lastly, we include a "site_metadata.csv" containing site identification and location information for all sites with water quality and quantity data, and mappings to the National Hydrography Dataset flowlines where available. This work was completed as part of the USGS Proxies Project, an effort supported by the Water Mission Area (WMA) Water Quality Processes program to develop estimation methods for PFAS, harmful algal blooms, and metals, at multiple spatial and temporal scales.