California Program for
Regional Enhanced Monitoring of PhycoToxins
(Cal-PReEMPT)
Institution(s): University of California
Santa Cruz (UCSC), California Department of Health Services (CDHS)
Investigator(s): Peter E. Miller, Raphael
Kudela, Mary W. Silver (UCSC) and
Gregg W. Langlois (CDHS)
Partners: Center for Integrated Marine Technology,
Center for Integrative Coastal Observation, Research and Education,
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Quileute Tribe, La Push, Washington,
Central Coast Long-term Environmental Assessment Network (CCLEAN)
Abstract:
The goal of this MERHAB effort
is to implement an economically sustainable harmful algal bloom monitoring
plan for the California coastline that exceeds current capabilities
of the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) by using new
technologies for rapid toxin and species detection and bloom tracking.
The innovative approach taken establishes pilot project sites where
new technologies are incorporated into an intensive monitoring program,
in combination with a tiered decision-making protocol that dictates
specific steps to take in response to field observations. The power
of this approach is that it paves the way for ultimately shifting much
of the monitoring effort to the field, where a network of volunteers,
with overall guidance from the CDHS, pre-screen samples using new technologies,
thus ensuring early warning of impending blooms while avoiding unnecessary
and expensive lab-based sample testing. Using the best available remote
sensing data in conjunction with field data provided by the volunteer
force will enable tracking the inception, proliferation, advection
and decline of bloom events in real-time along the expansive California
coast. In turn, this provides managers necessary information to make
informed decisions on when and where to direct the field force to increase
their efforts.
A particular strength of this program is that it was jointly conceived
and developed between the state agency charged with ensuring seafood
safety, the CDHS, and academic researchers actively engaged in developing
and using new methods for harmful algal bloom research. This effort
represents a true collaborative effort that specifically addresses
the needs of the CDHS with regard to maintaining a high level of safety,
while at the same time recognizing the limitations imposed by economic
realities.
In Situ Nutrient Monitoring
and Eutrophication-Related Blooms
Institution: University of Maryland Center
for Environmental Science Horn Point Laboratory
Investigator(s): Patricia M. Glibert Louis
A. Codispoti, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Horn Point Laboratory
Abstract:
The goal of this proposal is to continue development of methodologies
and approaches that lead to efficient and cost-effective monitoring
of nutrients and eutrophication- related blooms. In the Chesapeake
and Coastal Bays of Maryland a range of harmful species occur in response
to nutrient inputs. This project builds on investment of the past several
years in in situ nutrient monitoring equipment and development. The
next step is to couple this capability with fine-scale collection of
water samples for organismal detection to resolve time-dependent relationships
which ultimately can be incorporated into models. Remote water sampling
will be triggered by pre-set changes in nutrient concentration and
salinity for analysis of HAB species and other chemical parameters.
A new sensor for urea will also be developed, as this form of nitrogen
is abundant in Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Improved telemetry of nutrient
data will also be developed to allow the posting of nutrient data in
real time. Results to date have demonstrated that traditional approaches
for collecting information on nutrient distributions - such as weekly
or bimonthly sampling - are inadequate to resolve the short-lived nutrient
pulses that follow meteorological events. Increases in P043, N03 and
N}T occur following major freshwater flow events, and these increases
are ephemeral. The response of chlorophyll to these nutrient inputs
occurs on a short-term scale. What is not known is the response by
different species within the phytoplankton community, and whether different
HAB species have differential responses. This information is necessary
if predictive models by species are to be developed. Results will continue
to be integrated with results from other monitoring efforts by Maryland
State agencies, as has been done in the past. Results will also prove
useful to managers in other regions plagued by HABs and eutrophication.
By developing a system to rapidly post the temperature, salinity, chlorophyll,
and nutrient data collected autonomously, managers will be provided
with relevant water quality data in real time.
Quantitative Molecular Detection
of Multiple HAB Species
Institution: University
of Delaware, Lewes, DE
Investigator(s): Craig Cary and Kathryn
Coyne, University of Delaware
The project will develop quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
(QRT-PCR) methodology for low-cost, high-throughput detection and enumeration
of multiple HAB species. This methodology will include efficient, cost-effective
and user-friendly protocols for sample collection, nucleic acid extraction,
and QRT-PCR analysis of environmental water samples. In addition, the
methodology will be flexible in design to accommodate regionally-specific
groups of HAB species. This methodology will be transferred to state
monitoring agencies through a series of workshops that will include
hands-on training for participants. Working closely with monitoring
personnel, the investigators will also prepare a detailed manual of
protocols developed in this project that can be integrated into existing
HAB monitoring programs.
The project will fully investigate methods for environmental sample
collection and extraction of high quality DNA for QRT-PCR analysis.
These protocols will be optimized specifically to increase the efficiency
of sample preparation. The investigators will develop methodology for
the multi-species QRT-PCR detection in a single-tube format using primers
and probes to target HAB species indigenous to coastal waters along
both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the US. Detection sensitivity
and quantitative range will be optimized for each multi-species platform
using environmental samples that have been spiked with known concentrations
of each target species. The technologies developed in this investigation
will be transferred to state and Federal monitoring personnel through
a series of training workshops and the dissemination of a manual of
protocols specifically for the collection, extraction and QRTPCR
analysis of targeted HAB species from environmental samples. The manual
will be supported by a web site with species updates and suggestions
for improvements.
Monitoring Domoic
Acid in Marine Food Webs and Water
Institution(s): NOAA
Northwest Fisheries Science Center; Quileute Natural Resources, and
NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Restoration
Investigator(s): Vera Trainer, NOAA Northwest
Fisheries Science Center; Jay Burns, Quileute Natural Resources; Pat
Tester and Wayne Litaker, NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat
Restoration
The project will develop sensitive cost effective detection methods
for domoic acid (DA), the toxin produced by diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzchia, DA
that can be performed in tribal laboratory facilities. The specific
objectives of this study are as follows:
- To assess whether the RAPID DA assay designed to detect closure
levels of domoic acid are reliable. This involves extracting clams
and crabs with a 50% methanol solution and comparing the results
of the RAPID DA assay with HPLC analyses don on a subset of the same
samples;
- To complete development and evaluation of an existing colorometric
competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) capable of
detecting sublethal, as well as lethal, levels of domoic acid in
clams and crabs.
- Adapt the colorometric ELISA to an electrochemical format that
can be carried out in the field.
- Use both ELISA methods to examine how DA concentrates in the food
web, particularly leading to DA accumulation in crabs; determine
which environmental conditions are consistently associated with high
levels of DA in the water column; examine how free DA in the water
column is related to bloom activities and to what extent free DA
can serve as an early warning system for toxic events; and to estimate
sub lethal exposure levels associated with routine consumption of
clams and crabs.
- To transfer the technology to other tribes and state health officials.
MERHAB Fiscal Year 2002 Projects
Alexandrium Bloom Transport:
Observation and Models
Institution: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Principal Investigators: D.J. McGillicuddy, D.M. Anderson, B.A. Keafer
The overall objective of this project is to obtain field data on A. fundyense cell
distributions and local hydrodynamics and to interpret those data using existing
numerical models and data products from GoMOOS to determine if they can be
used to provide short-term forecasts of bloom transport. Specific tasks are
to: 1) collect field data in the western Gulf of Maine at temporal and spatial
scales suitable for resolving A. fundyense distributions within the area
covered by a CODAR array; 2) use CODAR and Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
(ADCP) measurements to estimate surface water velocities; 3) assimilate velocity
observations into an existing physical/biological coupled model; 4) seed
the hindcast simulation with passive particles to assess transport of A.
fundyense; 5) compare observed and predicted A. fundyense distributions with
PSP toxicity records; and 6) assess future needs for transitioning
these predictive tools to meet management needs.
http://www.whoi.edu/science/AOPE/people/olga/mm_main_page.html
MERHAB Lower Great Lakes
Institutions: Research Foundation for the
State University of New York (SUNY); SUNY Brockport; University at Buffalo; University of Vermont; Western Michigan University; New York State Sea Grant; University of Tennessee.
Investigators: Gregory L. Boyer, SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Joseph Makarewicz, SUNY Brockport; Joe Atkinson University at Buffalo; Mary Watzin, University of Vermont; Tim Mihuc, Western Michigan University; Charles O'Neil New York State Sea Grant; Steven Wilhelm University of Tennessee.
Related Websites:
Toxin Lab Established by CSCOR Helps Ohio Agencies Respond to Toxic Freshwater Algal Blooms
MERHAB-LGL at ESF
State University of New York at Brockport - MERHAB Research
MERHAB-Lower Great Lakes Program, State University of New York at Buffalo
MERHAB-Lower Great Lakes Program, University of Tennessee
MERHAB-Lower Great Lakes Program, Western Michigan University
Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory at the Lake Champlain Science Center
Abstract:
This proposal will develop an integrated alert system to monitor and
detect toxic cyanobacteria blooms in the lower Great Lakes: Lake Erie,
Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain. The proposal is organized around six
different working groups, each with their own tasks. The Lake Erie
working group will investigate the spatial distribution of toxic Microcystis
in Lake Erie, evaluate the chemical diversity of microcystin(s) produced
in the lake, evaluate the use of molecular markers for the microcystin
biosynthesis genes mcyB and mcvD as monitoring tools for toxigenic
species, and examine nutritional probes for iron, nitrogen and phosphorus
as predictors for toxic cyanobacterial blooms. The Champlain working
group will investigate the occurrence of anatoxin-a and microcystins
in Lake Champlain, including the identification of the phytoplankton
species responsible for toxin formation in this system, examine the
correlation between blue-green algal density and toxin production,
validate a newly developed dipstick assay for anatoxin-a, evaluate
cyanotoxin screening protocols for potential use by water treatment
operators, and develop training programs for those water quality managers.
The Lake Ontario group will examine the occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria
in the Lake Ontario's southern shore embayments and determine if these
embayments are a source of cyanobacteria and toxins to the open lake
water and to the St Lawrence river. It will also examine the potential
of using zebra mussels as surrogate monitoring system (mussel watch).
A centralized toxin support group will analyze for the cyanobacteria
toxins including microcystins, anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(s), PSP toxins
and cylindrospermopsin. They will also develop extraction methodology
and form an HAB event response team. A remote sensing working group
will provide information on the occurrence/movement of phytoplankton
blooms in the region and apply new remote sensing platforms to the
occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria blooms. Finally an education working
group will disseminate this material to concern parties by developing
a public awareness program for cyanobacteria toxins, informing and
educate local environmental, health, and monitoring agencies integrating
the groups field studies into information on management strategies.
detection techniques, health risks, and what is likely to be an appropriate
public response.
Eastern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel
Program
Institution:
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission-Florida Marine
Research Institute
Investigator: Brian Bendis, Florida Fish
and Wildlife Commission
Abstract:
Blooms of the red-tide dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, occur annually
in Florida coastal waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico (GOMx) and
present serious impacts to marine resources, public health, and community
economics. To minimize these impacts, early forecasting of and subsequent
mitigation for bloom events are the goal of federal, state, academic,
and private partnerships. The difficulty in forecasting occurrence
and impacts of K brevis blooms can be traced to the absence of appropriate
monitoring technologies. Clearly, the successful, operational utility
of any monitoring program (and any resulting mitigation strategies)
will be dependent upon synoptic-scale, real-time sampling, regional-based
data assimilation and modeling and adaptive, event-response confirmation.
The Eastern GOMx Sentinel Program is a multi-investigator and multi-
disciplinary program to develop and assess the utility of a networked
system of autonomous sampling platforms incorporating physical/chemical-
and bio-sensor packages.. As such, it will facilitate model and forecast
initializations and state-wide, adaptive field sampling. Monitoring
platforms for sensor deployment will utilize both existing and newly
established buoys (The West Florida Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction
System) and Bottom-Stationed Ocean Pro filers (autonomous, water-column
profiling vehicles carrying modular sensor payloads). The bio-sensors,
including a bio-optical phytoplankton discriminator and a processor
containing a molecular-probe array, are existing first generation instruments
that previously have provided positive, consistent results in both
laboratory and field trials and show great promise for remote, autonomous
discrimination of K. brevis. Generated data will be used to initialize
a coupled bio- physical model for forecasting the development and movement
of K. brevis red tides. In addition, the data can be used for (near)
real-time 'ground-truthing' of a NOAA/NOAA Ocean Service forecast tool based on satellite
ocean-color imagery and other forecast tools.
Platform-based data acquisition and forecasting efforts will be integrated
with a geographically-comprehensive, rapid response component that
incorporates adaptive, field sampling and a state-sanctioned, volunteer
sampling network. Vessel- and shore-based, adaptive sampling (and subsequent
analyses) will verify offshore- and near-shore blooms, respectively.
The volunteer monitoring program, in existence since May, 2000 and extending
from Key West to Pensacola, FL, will be supplemented with a shore-based
volunteer network to provide additional coverage.
The Eastern GOMx Sentinel Program is intended to become a strategic,
proactive hardware- and information-technology for operational coastal
observatories within the GOMx. The program is designed for technological
integration and data dissemination into existing (and future) federal,
state, academic and private partnerships with their associated data
management and communication network. NOAA's National Coastal Data
Development Center, a vital figure in the Northern GOMx demonstration
project, HABSOS, will receive, store and layer the hydrological and
biological data for dissemination and future archiving. Products arising
from this program will help fulfill scientific directives of the Alliance
for Coastal Technologies, particularly the demonstration, evaluation,
and verification of monitoring sensors, platforms, and software.
Websites for more information:
http://research.myfwc.com/
http://ocgweb.marine.usf.edu
http://comps.marine.usf.edu
http://coolgate.mote.org/socool/
In Situ Optical Early Warning
System to Detect Harmful Algal Blooms
Institution: Texas A&M University
Investigator: Dr. Lisa Campbell (TAMU/OCN)
Abstract:
The objective of this research is to develop a buoy-based in situ
continuous monitoring system capable of detecting increases in abundance
of specific cell types that could form the basis for a real-time early
warning system for harmful algae blooms (HABS). Occurrences of HABs
have increased at alarming rates over the past 20-30 years. In the
Gulf of Mexico, the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (formerly known
as Gymnodinium breve) is a major hannful algal bloom species. Toxic
algal bloom events along the Texas coast have occurred in five of the
past six years and present serious health and economic risks. Early
detection of potential blooms and a rapid response to such events have
been suggested as the most effective ways to mitigate the impact of
HABs. In some states with recurring blooms, such as Texas, there is
no regular monitoring program in place for early warning. Plans for
development of the US Coastal Ocean Observing System often mention
detection of HABs as an important objective, which requires automated
continuous monitoring with real-time data access. The proposed targeted
research program is directed towards this goal. The scientific objective
of this project is to test a novel optical detection system, the FlowCAM
(Flow Imaging Technologies, Inc.) in conjunction with the existing
Texas Automated Buoy System (TABS) and modeling program as a new tool
for early warning of HAB events. Following laboratory and field tests
to validate automatic counting and to optimize data retrieval, the
FlowCAM together with an in situ nutrient analyzer and oxygen sensor
will be installed on a new buoy located off the coast at Corpus Christi,
the site of a number of recent algal blooms. This submersible system
will analyze, image and count cells in continuous flow. A digital camera
will capture and record images of individual cells for both immediate
transmittal back to shore via cell phone and for archival. K. brevis has a characteristic shape and should be easily recognized by the optics
system. Results will provide improved efficiency of image capture and
transmittal of data, which are essential for early detection. Data
will be linked directly to the existing TABS web site for real-time
display of phytoplankton images. TABS also runs, on a daily basis,
numerical models that nowcast and forecast currents along the Texas
coast. Because these capabilities are already operational and TABS
scientists and technicians have years of experience in offshore buoy
operations, work can concentrate specifically on the technology of
measuring and forecasting harmful algal blooms. From continuous measurements
of cell abundance, together with nutrient and oxygen concentrations,
temperature, salinity and currents, changes in phytoplankton community
structure and abundances of K brevis and other potentially harmful
species can be determined on a scale never before possible. This program
will contribute to understanding the effects of nutrient loading on
HABs. Texas A&M University is committed to undergraduate and graduate
education. This project will provide opportunity and training for student(s)
in coastal ocean observing, an oceanographic specialty that will provide
an increasing number of jobs for graduates over the next decade.
Immunoassays for Florida
Red Tide Monitoring
Institution: University of North Carolina,
Wilmington
Investigator: Jerome Naar, Center for Marine
Science, UNCW
Abstract:
Blooms of toxic or harmful micro algae, COmIn,only called red tides,
represent a significant and expanding threat in the US with an estimated
annual loss of $49 Million by Gulf industries (1). In the Gulf of Mexico,
red tides are caused by blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia
brevis (ex Gymnodinium breve). These blooms result in ecological disasters
such as fish, marine mammal and sea bird deaths as well as contaminated
seafood and human respiratory distress along shorelines.
During the last year, we completed development of a new enzyme immunoassay
(EIA) for brevetoxin analysis in complex matrices such as seawater,
shellfish and mammalian body fluid (Naar et al. 2002). The assay is
designed for research, industry and regulatory use. The advantages
of this particular assay are: 1) Sensitivity: detection limit for brevetoxins
is in the nanomolar range, 2) Specificity: Only brevetoxins and brevetoxin
metabolites are measured, 3) Simplicity: Seawater, shellfish and fish
tissue, bird and mammalian body fluids, and sea-aerosol can be analyzed
without extraction of the samples. Regarding shellfish monitoring,
the ELISA method is more rapid than any other analysis because it can
be performed on shellfish homogenate without preliminary extraction
and/or purification. This means that the total amount of toxin is measured,
regardless of whether it is sequestered in the meat or free in interstitial
water in the homogenate, and whether or not it is lipid- soluble. This
assay is 40 times more sensitive than the mouse bioassay, and within
8 hours, a single person can analyze over 50 shellfish samples. Thus
with automated gear, and the abbreviated preparation scheme, shellfish
samples can be measured daily to permit more rapid re-opening of beds,
individual shellfish variability can be measured, and a variety of
depuration experiments can be carried out. ELISA technology does not
require radioactive tracers, live animals, solvents, extraction equipment,
or expensive materials and facilities, thus it appears to be very useful
for monitoring brevetoxins in both biological and environmental samples.
The objective of the work described hereafter is to incorporate the
ELISA technology into the actual monitoring program for brevetoxins
in the Gulf States. To reach this objective, water and shellfish samples
will be analyzed using 1) the current monitoring protocol (cell counts
and mouse bioassays respectively) and 2) ELISA technology. Furthermore
as a confmnatory technique, selected samples will be also analyzed
by mass spectrometry. The tandem analyses will provide:
1. Correlation between cell counts and the actual amount of toxin
present in the water.
2. Comparison between the toxicity of oysters as assessed by the mouse
bioassy with the concentration of total toxin present in the shellfish
as measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA).
3. Determination of the actual concentration of brevetoxins present
in shellfish using current re- opening criteria (20 MU toxicity).
This value will serve as the basis in redefining perniissible levels
of brevetoxins in shellfish as measured by EIA.
Development and Field-Testing
of an Analytical Protocol for Pfiesteria Toxin
Institution: Old Dominion University
Investigator: Andrew Gordon, Old Dominion
University
Abstract:
Dinoflagellates within the toxic Pfiesteria complex (TPC) can cause
extensive fish kills and produce toxin(s) that are implicated in serious
human heath effects. The currently accepted diagnosis for a Pfiesteria-mediated
fish kill requires sequential testing including (1) demonstration of
the presence of300 or more Pfiesteria-like organisms (PLO) ml-1 ; (2)
demonstration of the presence of toxic Pfiesteria by standardized laboratory
fish bioassay; (3) confirmation of species identification by electron
microscopy of suture-swollen cells; and (4) corroboration of identification
by additional laboratories. Additionally molecular detection methods
(PCR and real-time PCR) are now in use by a number of laboratories.
Although this approach is the best available diagnostic procedure,
it is confounded by the fact that not all TPC organisms produce toxin(s).
Even Pfiesteria strains that produce toxins don't always produce them.
Thus even if isolates from water from a fish kill are shown to be Pfiesteria spp and to have the potential to produce ichthyotoxin in a laboratory
bioassay, it does not prove that they were toxic in situ.
A more direct and rapid approach to diagnosis of a Pfiesteria-mediated
fish kill would be demonstration of Pfiesteria toxin or its products
at toxic levels in the water at the kill site. This, in addition to
positive molecular or direct count evidence of high PLO numbers, would
be sufficient to implicate TPC's as a causative agent. However an analytical
protocol for Pfiesteria toxin and/or its products is not presently
available.
We have been cultivating toxic Pfiesteria spp. for four years and
have recently completed analyses of stability of toxic activity in
cell-free filtrates. Preliminary results we have obtained utilizing
solid phase separation to concentrate toxic activity from water samples
indicate quantitative removal is readily achievable and that toxic
products can be eluted in a form suitable for analysis by high performance
liquid chromatography (HPLC). We are in the relatively unique position
of having access to toxic Pfiesteria cultures in our own laboratory
and to the expertise and equipment required for development of an analytical
protocol for the toxic products of these organisms.
In this proposal funds are requested to complete development and field-testing
of an HPLC-based analytical procedure for Pfiesteria toxin(s) and/or
their toxic products. This will yield a rapid, powerful, and definitive
tool to enhance our ability to determine if Pfiesteria caused a fish
kill and whether potential human health threats exist at a bloom site.
The analysis will use instrumentation and methods that are widely available
and relatively inexpensive so, once optimized, it will be applicable
by most laboratories involved in HAB research and monitoring. Although
extensive Pfiesteria-mediated fish kills have not occurred recently,
they will undoubtedly occur in the future and a field tested analytical
protocol for their toxic products will be an essential addition to
the "tool kit" available to researchers and regulators.
Detecting Karenia brevis Blooms
in the Western Gulf of Mexico
Institution: University of Texas at Austin
Investigator: Tracy Villareal, The University
of Texas at Austin
Abstract:
The proposed work will expand the existing satellite-based monitoring
program for the Gulf of Mexico to include the Texas coast (western
Gulf). From 1935 to 1986, blooms of the toxic, dinoflagellate, Karenia
brevis, affected the region intermittently. Since then, the frequency
of events has increased dramatically with over half the documented
red tides occurring in the last decade. Unlike Florida, Texas has no
large-scale monitoring program, nor is one likely to be developed in
the near future due to funding pressures within the State. The state
agencies charged with recording fish mortality and closing shellfish
beds respond to fish kills or fortuitous observations as tripwire indicators.
Thus, implementing satellite and modeling capabilities for routine
remote detection and monitoring is the only practical means for covering
the state's extensive offshore area. NOAA's existing satellite-based
harmful algal bloom program in Florida has been successful in detecting
blooms. The resulting data sets have been incorporated into a distribution
product, the NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Bulletins, that identifies
HAB locations and short-term movements, and directing event response
to them. This is an invaluable tool for agencies responsible for regulating
shellfish harvesting and providing information for recreational and
commercial fishers.
The proposed work will modify this application for the Texas coast
and couple it to a focused 3-year monitoring program for model and
algorithm verification. Water color characteristics and current patterns
are unique to the Texas coast and require site-specific sampling for
validation. A simple cross-shelf wind-driven circulation model will
be initialized with satellite data and available field data to predict
the shot1-term (days) initiation and movement of the bloom. The field
program uses a collaboration with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
to provide offshore (9 nautical miles) samples at no cost to this
program. These predictions will be tested using event response sampling
(cell counts, chlorophyll) based out of the Marine Science Institute
(UT -Austin).
The outcome of this project will be a near-real-time tool for detecting
and predicting K. brevis events along the Texas coast. The product
will be integrated into the NOAA HAB bulletins and the proposed Harmful
Algal Bloom Observing System (HABSOS) program in order to provide a
near-real time, web-accessible, HAB visualization product.
Tier-based
Monitoring for Toxic Cyanobacteria in the Lower Great Lakes
Institution: Research Foundation for the
State University of New York (SUNY)
Investigator: Gregory L. Boyer, State University
of New York
Abstract:
This proposal will develop an integrated alert system to monitor and
detect toxic cyanobacteria blooms in the lower Great Lakes: Lake Erie,
Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain. The proposal is organized around six
different working groups, each with their own tasks. The Lake Erie
working group will investigate the spatial distribution of toxic Microcystis
in Lake Erie, evaluate the chemical diversity of microcystin(s) produced
in the lake, evaluate the use of molecular markers for the microcystin
biosynthesis genes mcyB and mcvD as monitoring tools for toxigenic
species, and examine nutritional probes for iron, nitrogen and phosphorus
as predictors for toxic cyanobacterial blooms. The Champlain working
group will investigate the occurrence of anatoxin-a and microcystins
in Lake Champlain, including the identification of the phytoplankton
species responsible for toxin formation in this system, examine the
correlation between blue-green algal density and toxin production,
validate a newly developed dipstick assay for anatoxin-a, evaluate
cyanotoxin screening protocols for potential use by water treatment
operators, and develop training programs for those water quality managers.
The Lake Ontario group will examine the occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria
in the Lake Ontario's southern shore embayments and determine if these
embayments are a source of cyanobacteria and toxins to the open lake
water and to the St Lawrence river. It will also examine the potential
of using zebra mussels as surrogate monitoring system (mussel watch).
A centralized toxin support group will analyze for the cyanobacteria
toxins including microcystins, anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(s), PSP toxins
and cylindrospermopsin. They will also develop extraction methodology
and form an HAB event response team. A remote sensing working group
will provide information on the occurrence/movement of phytoplankton
blooms in the region and apply new remote sensing platforms to the
occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria blooms. Finally an education working
group will disseminate this material to concern parties by developing
a public awareness program for cyanobacteria toxins, informing and
educate local environmental, health, and monitoring agencies integrating
the groups field studies into information on management strategies.
detection techniques, health risks, and what is likely to be an appropriate
public response.