Harmful algal blooms, commonly called `red tides` or HABs, are a serious economic and public health problem throughout the world. In the U.S., the most serious HAB problem is paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), a potentially fatal neurological disorder caused by human ingestion of shellfish that accumulate toxins as they feed on dinoflagellates of the genus Alexandrium. These organisms cause human illness and death due to PSP, repeated shellfish harvest quarantines, and the mortality of fish and marine mammals. This phenomenon, which affects thousands of miles of U.S. coastline and numerous fisheries resources, has expanded dramatically in the last two decades, especially in the Gulf of Maine. The ECOHAB-GOM addresses several fundamental issues regarding Alexandrium blooms in the Gulf of Maine: 1) the source of the Alexandrium cells that appear in the fresh water plumes in the western Maine coastal current (WMCC); 2) Alexandrium cell distribution and dynamics in the eastern Maine coastal current (EMCC); and 3) linkages among blooms in the WMCC, the EMCC and on Georges Bank. Utilizing a combination of numerical modeling, hydrographic, chemical, and biological measurements, moored and drifting current measurements, and satellite imagery, we will characterize the structure, variability and autecology of the major Alexandrium habitats in the Gulf of Maine.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
9810223
Program Officer
Phillip R. Taylor
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
1998-06-01
Budget End
2002-05-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
$134,571
Indirect Cost
Name
Medical University of South Carolina
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Charleston
State
SC
Country
United States
Zip Code
29425