|
 |
National and International HAB Information and Programs
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are due to proliferations
of algae that can have devastating ecological and economic impacts in
the world’s oceans. They occur throughout the world, and their
distribution globally has been expanding, from a few isolated coasts
several hundred years ago to virtually all areas of coastline. Impacts
of these events can include contamination of seafood with toxins; fish,
shellfish mammal, or bird kills; and altered marine ecosystems through
changes in water quality and light penetration. Most dramatically,
these events can induce human illness, leading to public demand for
effective management of these bloom taxa. There are several National
and International efforts underway to address these phenomena.
Information on HABs and these programs can be found at these websites:
The US Harmful Algal Bloom Website (http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/)
This
website has information on the distribution of causative organisms,
adverse ecological impacts and human illnesses that are caused by these
events. Information on workshops and other opportunities can also be
found.
|
| See Harmful Algal Research and Response: A National Environmental Science Strategy 2005-2015. PDF |
GEOHAB: The Global Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms program (http://geohab.info)
GEOHAB is an international effort to understand the critical features
and mechanisms underlying the population dynamics of HAB species in a
variety of oceanographic regimes. GEOHAB is sponsored by the Scientific
Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC). Although not a research funding program
per se, GEOHAB helps to facilitate those activities that require cooperation among nations.
Visit Reports and Newsletters for PDFs of the GEOHAB reports. |
|
|