scholarly journals Monitoring, Managing, and Communicating Risk of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in Recreational Resources across Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 117863022110144
Author(s):  
Hamidreza Rashidi ◽  
Helen Baulch ◽  
Arshdeep Gill ◽  
Lalita Bharadwaj ◽  
Lori Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Coherent System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Quality Guidelines ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Territorial Government ◽  
Northern Territories

Globally, harmful algal blooms (HABs) are on the rise, as is evidence of their toxicity. The impacts associated with blooms, however, vary across Nation states, as do the strategies and protocols to assess, monitor, and manage their occurrence. In Canada, water quality guidelines are standardized nationally, but the management strategies for HABs are not. Here, we explore current strategies to understand how to better communicate risks associated with HABs to the public. Our team conducted an environmental scan on provincial and territorial government agency protocols around HABs. Results suggest that there are variations in the monitoring, managing, and communicating of risk to the public: British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Quebec have well-established inter-agency protocols, and most provinces report following federal guidelines for water quality. Notably, 3 northern territories have no HABs monitoring or management protocols in place. More populous provinces use a variety of information venues (websites, social media, on site postings, and radio) to communicate risks associated with HABs, whereas others’ communications are limited. To induce more collaboration on HABs monitoring and management and reduce the associated risks, creating a coherent system with consistent messaging and inter-agency communication is suggested.

scholarly journals Deep Learning for Simulating Harmful Algal Blooms Using Ocean Numerical Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Soo Baek ◽  
JongCheol Pyo ◽  
Yong Sung Kwon ◽  
Seong-Jun Chun ◽  
Seung Ho Baek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Alexandrium Catenella ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Issue ◽  
Simulated Distribution ◽  
Classification And Regression

In several countries, the public health and fishery industries have suffered from harmful algal blooms (HABs) that have escalated to become a global issue. Though computational modeling offers an effective means to understand and mitigate the adverse effects of HABs, it is challenging to design models that adequately reflect the complexity of HAB dynamics. This paper presents a method involving the application of deep learning to an ocean model for simulating blooms of Alexandrium catenella. The classification and regression convolutional neural network (CNN) models are used for simulating the blooms. The classification CNN determines the bloom initiation while the regression CNN estimates the bloom density. GoogleNet and Resnet 101 are identified as the best structures for the classification and regression CNNs, respectively. The corresponding accuracy and root means square error values are determined as 96.8% and 1.20 [log(cells L–1)], respectively. The results obtained in this study reveal the simulated distribution to follow the Alexandrium catenella bloom. Moreover, Grad-CAM identifies that the salinity and temperature contributed to the initiation of the bloom whereas NH4-N influenced the growth of the bloom.

scholarly journals Where's the Grass? Disappearing Submerged Aquatic Vegetation and Declining Water Quality in Lake Mattamuskeet

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 401-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Moorman ◽  
Tom Augspurger ◽  
John D. Stanton ◽  
Adam Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Suspended Sediments ◽  
Water Clarity ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Current Water

Abstract Major threats to aquatic systems such as shallow lakes can include declining water quality, the loss of macrophyte beds, and the occurrence of harmful algal blooms. Often, these changes go unnoticed until a shift from a clear, oligotrophic system dominated by macrophyte beds to a turbid, eutrophic system dominated by phytoplankton and associated harmful algal blooms has occurred. Lake Mattamuskeet, which mostly lies within the boundary of Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina, is a shallow lake that has recently experienced a reduction in water clarity and macrophyte beds, also referred to as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), and an increase in nutrients, phytoplankton, harmful algal blooms, and cyanotoxin production. At Lake Mattamuskeet, SAV coverage and water clarity declined between the 1980s and 2015. During the same time, significantly increasing trends in nitrogen, phosphorus, turbidity, suspended sediments, chlorophyll a, and pH occurred. Current water-quality conditions (2012–2015) are not conducive to SAV survival and, in some cases, do not meet North Carolina water-quality standards for the protection of aquatic life. Water clarity declines appear to predate the SAV die-offs on the east side. Moving forward, SAV will serve as a primary indicator for lake health; and lake monitoring, research, and management efforts will focus on the restoration of aquatic grasses and water quality at Lake Mattamuskeet.

scholarly journals Measurement of Cyanobacterial Bloom Magnitude using Satellite Remote Sensing

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachidananda Mishra ◽  
Richard P. Stumpf ◽  
Blake A. Schaeffer ◽  
P. Jeremy Werdell ◽  
Keith A. Loftin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Cyanobacterial Bloom ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Sensor Calibration ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data

AbstractCyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) are a serious environmental, water quality and public health issue worldwide because of their ability to form dense biomass and produce toxins. Models and algorithms have been developed to detect and quantify cyanoHABs biomass using remotely sensed data but not for quantifying bloom magnitude, information that would guide water quality management decisions. We propose a method to quantify seasonal and annual cyanoHAB magnitude in lakes and reservoirs. The magnitude is the spatiotemporal mean of weekly or biweekly maximum cyanobacteria biomass for the season or year. CyanoHAB biomass is quantified using a standard reflectance spectral shape-based algorithm that uses data from Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS). We demonstrate the method to quantify annual and seasonal cyanoHAB magnitude in Florida and Ohio (USA) respectively during 2003–2011 and rank the lakes based on median magnitude over the study period. The new method can be applied to Sentinel-3 Ocean Land Color Imager (OLCI) data for assessment of cyanoHABs and the change over time, even with issues such as variable data acquisition frequency or sensor calibration uncertainties between satellites. CyanoHAB magnitude can support monitoring and management decision-making for recreational and drinking water sources.

Effectiveness of Stormwater Best Management Practices in Headwater Streams to Mitigate Harmful Algal Blooms

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Braswell Alford ◽  
Elizabeth Caporuscio
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Best Management

Pollution inputs in surface waters have resulted in extensive impairments to water resources; however, the effectiveness of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in reducing pollution inputs related to harmful algal blooms (HABs) in headwater streams has not been widely reported. Skypark, Santa’s Village, is an outdoor recreation area in the semiarid San Bernardino National Forest, California. Recreational activities and impervious surfaces at the site contribute pollution to Hooks Creek, a first-order headwater tributary of the Mojave River. The Natural Resources Conservation Service designed and constructed a stormwater sediment erosion control basin system to reduce site gully erosion and improve surface water quality in situ and downstream. Basin water quality was tested biweekly for parameters associated with HABs including temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, conductivity, nitrate (NO3−), and ammonium (NH4+) in situ during wet and dry seasons, with periodic testing for total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total coliform (TC), and Escherichia coli (EC). The BMP structure was effective in lowering temperature and pH and reducing NO3−, TDS, and turbidity during precipitation events, and increased pH levels and lower concentrations of TSS, TC, and EC were present during the dry season. Despite these advantages, the BMP was ineffective in reducing (NH4+) concentrations, a primary contributor to HABs, with 100% of the samples exceeding regulatory criteria throughout the study period. Results highlight the benefits and limitations of stormwater BMPs in protecting water resources from downstream HABs to ensure water resources are protected for current and future generations.

Volunteer Algae Monitoring Program (VAMP) in the Indian River Lagoon

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 88-93
Author(s):  
Susan Hamburger ◽  
Kenneth T. Gioeli ◽  
David Berthold ◽  
H. Dail Laughinghouse
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Indian River Lagoon ◽  
Fort Lauderdale ◽  
Quality Testing ◽  
Indian River ◽  
Research And Education ◽  
The University

AbstractThe University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) is an adult environmental education program with more than 450 trained program graduates in St. Lucie County, Florida. It is a collaborative effort of the UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Department, and partner agencies. Four UF/IFAS Florida Master Naturalist volunteers were recruited and received training and supplies to conduct water quality testing and algae collection in the Indian River Lagoon as part of the Volunteer Algae Monitoring Program (VAMP). The UF/IFAS research and extension faculty developed VAMP in response to the 2016 harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Indian River Lagoon that resulted in dramatic impacts on businesses, residents, and visitors in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties. These HAB episodes demonstrate the importance of having informed citizen scientists with an understanding of the problems and threats. The VAMP citizen scientists conducted a water quality awareness survey with the general public after proactively scouting for HABs by collecting samples and conducting water quality testing at three waypoints in the Indian River Lagoon during May to November 2017 (excluding October) and February 2018. They utilized UF/IFAS Water Watch chemistry tests and processed and shipped water samples to the Laughinghouse Lab at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, which conducted algae counts and genetic testing to determine the presence of harmful algae expressing microcystin-producing genes. Test results indicated fluctuating and inconsistent levels of saxitoxin but no indications of microcystins across the three sites and over time.

scholarly journals Insights into toxic Prymnesium parvum blooms: the role of sugars and algal viruses

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben A. Wagstaff ◽  
Edward S. Hems ◽  
Martin Rejzek ◽  
Jennifer Pratscher ◽  
Elliot Brooks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Prymnesium Parvum ◽  
Fish Kill ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Norfolk Broads

Prymnesium parvum is a toxin-producing microalga that causes harmful algal blooms globally, which often result in large-scale fish kills that have severe ecological and economic implications. Although many toxins have previously been isolated from P. parvum, ambiguity still surrounds the responsible ichthyotoxins in P. parvum blooms and the biotic and abiotic factors that promote bloom toxicity. A major fish kill attributed to P. parvum occurred in Spring 2015 on the Norfolk Broads, a low-lying set of channels and lakes (Broads) found on the East of England. Here, we discuss how water samples taken during this bloom have led to diverse scientific advances ranging from toxin analysis to discovery of a new lytic virus of P. parvum, P. parvum DNA virus (PpDNAV-BW1). Taking recent literature into account, we propose key roles for sialic acids in this type of viral infection. Finally, we discuss recent practical detection and management strategies for controlling these devastating blooms.

Effects of harmful algal blooms and associated water-quality on endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers

Harmful Algae ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 101847
Author(s):  
Summer M. Burdick ◽  
David A. Hewitt ◽  
Barbara A. Martin ◽  
Liam Schenk ◽  
Stewart A. Rounds
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document