ECOHAB is a peer-reviewed, national, competitive program that funds regional-scale and targeted studies. Regional ecosystem investigations of the causes and impacts of HABs leading to development of model-based operational ecological forecasting capabilities in areas with severe, recurrent blooms are a high priority.

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

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

Interactions between bacteria and species of harmful and/or toxic algae are potentially important factors affecting both the population dynamics and toxicity of these algae. Recent reports of bacteria lethal to certain harmful algal bloom (HAB) species, coupled with a rapidly evolving interest in attempting to minimize the adverse effects of HABs through various prevention, control, and mitigation strategies, has focused attention on defining the role of algicidal bacteria in bloom termination. The aim of the present study was to determine if algicidal bacteria active against Karenia brevis, a dinoflagellate responsible for frequent and protracted red tides in the Gulf of Mexico, are present in the waters of the west Florida shelf. To date we have detected one algicidal bacterium from samples obtained during ECOHAB-Florida cruises and we are continuing this effort. A taxon-specific 16S rRNA probe was developed for a previously isolated algicidal strain, 41-DBG2, and we have begun to screen water samples for its presence using fluorescent in-situ hybridization. In addition, we have employed denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to characterize the diversity of the ambient microbial assemblages and to visualize the band characteristic of strain 41-DBG2. This band can then be analyzed further by excising and sequencing. Our screening results to date have yielded negative results on all but one of the field samples tested, which was positive with the rRNA probe. These largely negative findings may not be unexpected due to the marked temporal and spatial separation of the original algicidal bacterial isolation and the water samples being screened. Future efforts will focus on isolating algicidal bacteria from the same bloom event as the samples for screening are obtained, thereby increasing the likelihood of detecting algicidal strains and permitting a more effective analysis of their population dynamics.

This collection contains inputs to, and outputs from the NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Experimental Forecast for Lake Erie in the form of bulletin documents and processed satellite imagery in GeoTIFF format, beginning on 2008-09-04 and continuing to 2016-11-01. The HAB Experimental Bulletin was operated by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to develop and produce experimental forecast bulletins for cyanobacteria blooms (blue-green algae) in Lake Erie. The bulletins contain an analysis of the location of cyanobacteria blooms, forecasts of transport, mixing, scum formation and bloom decline based on the analysis of information from data providers. The bulletins are emailed to subscribers twice weekly during an active bloom. Each year, NCEI creates a new accession containing the data collected during the previous 12 months. The experimental bulletin was started in 2008 and became operational in 2017.

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.

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.