Supplementary material to “Mexico-U.S. Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Efforts”
Chuanmin Hu, University of South Florida, Tampa
Frank E. Muller-Karger, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Citation:
Hu, C., and F. E. Muller-Karger (2008), Mexico-U.S. harmful algal bloom monitoring efforts, Eos Trans. AGU, 89(24), 219. [Full Article (pdf)]Mexico-U.S. Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Monitoring Efforts:
A Core Focus of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health of the state of Veracruz, México, held 18–22 February 2008 in the Aquarium of Veracruz, Mexico
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are phenomena where marine algae (phytoplankton) aggregate because of a combination of physical forces and fast growth (blooms). In the Gulf of Mexico, HABs are known as "red tides" because they frequently color coastal and ocean waters with a red color, but HABs can color the water black or brown as well. Many HABs are toxic and periodically cause significant environmental stress and economic hardship in coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico through sickness and mortality of fish, manatees, dolphins, sharks. These toxins can also cause severe illness in humans by exposure if the toxins are suspended in the air or by consumption through fish and shellfish. In the Gulf of Mexico, HABs were first documented in the 19th century but their frequency appears to have increased in recent years, although there is still debate within the scientific community. Nevertheless, the mechanisms controlling the initiation, development, and demise of these blooms is not yet well understood, and appears to be different in different parts of the Gulf. On the west Florida shelf, HABs occur almost every year from late fall to early spring with the dominant toxic dinoflagellate (a type of phytoplankton) Karenia brevis. Along the Mexican coast, HABs appear less frequent, and they are caused by both K. brevis and other toxic species. Today, the scientific understanding of the natural processes leading to HABs remains incomplete.
Recognizing that coastal waters around the Gulf of Mexico are not isolated, but connected through ocean circulations, concerted efforts through binational partnerships are the only solution towards a better understanding of HABs initiation and distribution. In June 2003, representatives from various U.S. and Mexican government agencies and researchers from academic institutions held a workshop in New Orleans, Louisiana, to review the current status of HAB monitoring and research. On 28 March 2006, the GOMA Governors' Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts was released after 12 months of collaborations between Federal and State agencies and the public. Among the top priorities is to "Improve HAB detection and forecasting in the U.S. and Mexican Gulf States."
After months of planning and as a first step, we held the first joint taxonomy training workshop in Veracruz. During this workshop we focused on establishing standard protocols for water sample collection, analysis, and data entry methods, and conducted training sessions in these activities as well in phytoplankton identification techniques. Mexican researchers and personnel in Federal and State government agencies worked side-by-side with U.S. researchers and resources managers during the week-long workshop, after which all participants received a certificate documenting their successful training.
--
Chuanmin Hu
University of South Florida
St. Petersburg,
Email: hu@marine.usf.edu
Frank E Muller-Karger
University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth
Workshop minutes: (from left to right, clockwise): Group photo after a visit to the Department of Health of the state of Veracruz, México; Jennifer Wolny and Inia Soto gave taxonomy lectures in English and Spanish; Trainees focused on microscopic identification of HAB species.
