Woods Hole, Mass. (July 10, 2024) — In summer of 2022, a research cruise detected a massive harmful algal bloom (HAB) in the Bering Strait region of western Alaska. This expedition provided a dramatic example of science utilizing new technology to track a neurotoxic HAB, and effectively communicate information that protects remote coastal communities in […]
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have long been prevalent in the waters off the Kodiak archipelago, with the toxins produced by species such as Alexandrium catenella historically posing a threat to the health of communities. Alexandrium produces saxitoxin, a neurotoxin which can accumulate in shellfish and cause severe illness or death in those who consume it. The prevalence of Alexandrium blooms is likely […]
Algae that commonly grow on snow in the Pacific Northwest have been ignored in melt models, but their presence significantly increases snowmelt compared with clean, white snow, according to a study conducted on Mount Baker in the North Cascades, Washington. Scientist Alia Khan at Western Washington University and the National Snow and Ice Data Center at […]
Photo: This is a 2009 phytoplankton bloom in the Bering Sea. Cloud seed bacteria may feed on phytoplankton. CREDIT: NASA, Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center WASHINGTON – New research finds Arctic Ocean currents and storms are moving bacteria from ocean algae blooms into the atmosphere where the particles help clouds […]