9529691 Anderson The proposed workshop will bring scientists from nine IAI countries together to establish a cooperative research program. An IAI Research Center for the study of Harmful Algae Blooms (HAB) will be formed, consisting of a group of investigators and institutions from the region. The participants will work on common problems using uniform techniques and approaches. The overall goal of the program will be to examine the trends of HAB incidence, mechanisms underlying their formation, and possible linkages to human activities and global change phenomena. The ultimate objective is to develop common strategies to reverse the trend, manage affected resources and mitigate impacts. Workshop participants will develop four to five projects for the proposed Research Center, to be submitted to IAI for Phase II of the IAI Start-Up Grants. The scientific areas which will likely be addressed within the context of an IAI HAB Research Center are the following: oceanographic and environmental mechanisms underlying HABs; the relative importance of natural versus anthropogenic factors in HAB dynamics and distribution; HAB events associated with river outflows into coastal water; cooperative research into toxic dinoflagellate physiology and bloom dynamics; and assessing the extent to which harmful species have dispersed, either naturally or with accidental human assistance. In addition, the Phase II proposal for an HAB Center could also be used as a information network linking scientists, administrators, agencies involved in HAB issues. The HAB Center may also be used for educational activities which target both the scientific community and the general public. %%% The proposed workshop will bring scientists from nine IAI countries together to establish a cooperative research program for the study of Harmful Algae Blooms (HAB), consisting of a group of investigators and institutions from the region. The participants of this Research Center will work on common problems using uniform techniq ues and approaches. The overall goal of the program will be to examine the trends of HAB incidence, mechanisms underlying their formation, and possible linkages to human activities and global change phenomena. The ultimate objective is to develop common strategies to reverse the trend, manage affected resources and mitigate impacts. The workshop participants will develop four to five projects for the proposed Research Center to be submitted for Phase II of the IAI Start-Up Grants. The nature of the HAB problem has changed considerably over the last two decades in the Americas. In recent years, there has been a steady and alarming increase in marine HAB incidence that poses a serious threat to human health and economic development throughout the Americas, and there is therefore an urgent need to better understand this increase in marine HAB incidence. Two decades ago, only a few countries were affected, and then only in scattered locations. Now virtually every coastal country is threatened, in many cases over large geographic areas and by multiple harmful or toxic algal species. All coastal IAI member states have serious HAB problems, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay. Each of these countries will participate in the workshop as Member States of the IAI, an initiative to stimulate cooperative research on global change issues in the Americas. The National Science Foundation is the designated U.S. Government to carry out U.S. responsibilities within the IAI. ***
