The leading world venue for showcasing the latest research on oceans, coasts and lakes is the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Aquatic Sciences Meeting. The research programs sponsored by the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) lead management solutions for harmful algae, hypoxia and regional ecosystem-scale research. At the [...]
As researchers around the world work on better genetic modifications to algae that step up biofuel production, NOAA scientists recently considered some ecological, economic and health ramifications if these organisms made it into the wild. In their paper, the investigators from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean science and partners predict that most genetic traits for enhanced [...]
It was 25 years ago this month that more than a hundred people were sickened on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Three people died. Days later it was confirmed they suffered from a domoic acid in locally cultivated mussels. Domoic acid in high levels can cause immediate neurotoxin reactions like spasms or seizures or memory loss, [...]
Researchers finally identified the main toxic compounds produced by Prymnesium parvum, also known as “golden tide.” A fish-killing algae, this organism had historically affected aquaculture and marine systems worldwide, but now also frequently plagues popular fishing spots in the western United States, such as in Arizona last month. Identifying these toxins as well as their primary mode of [...]
Dr. Tyler Smith, a scientist with the University of the Virgin Islands Center for Marine and Environmental Studies in St. Thomas, was recently awarded a NOAA grant to study to understand factors influencing the occurrence of ciguatera fish poisoning and develop methods to predict outbreaks. Dr. Smith is partnering with colleagues from around the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida [...]
A recently published study into how Heterosigma rapidly forms blooms discovered a remarkable behavior: they flee. This fish-killing species of microscopic plant swims away when it senses single-celled predators are feeding on others nearby. In response, they take “shelter” in low salinity water layers which the predators find intolerable. The investigators said they had never seen a plant swim [...]
A research paper published this week reveals that large die-offs of algae locally magnify ocean acidification. As the cells die and sinks to the bottom, the bacteria population that feeds on them swells in response, consuming more oxygen and releasing more carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 reacts in seawater to form acidic compounds that lower [...]
When tiny aquatic organisms reproduce in large amounts, algal blooms occur that take over portions of open water up to hundreds of miles in area. And when these oceanic plankton happen to be the toxic kind, they can be deadly to other living things crossing their path. One of the most poisonous and abundant of [...]