Project Explorer

ECOHAB: Alexandrium spp. Cyst Dynamics in the Gulf of Maine: Delivery, Deposition, and Resuspension(2006)

Project Description:
Alexandrium spp. Cyst Dynamics in the Gulf of Maine: Delivery, Deposition, and Resuspension: This award supports research to find the source of Alexandrium resting cysts in the Gulf of Maine and is part of the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms Program. Alexandrium is the cause of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) in northeast U.S. coastal waters. The predominant HAB problem in the Gulf of Maine is paralytic shellfish poisoning, caused by the saxitoxin-producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense. State and local managers monitor aggressively to insure seafood safety. Bloom dynamics and the factors that control Alexandrium transport and toxicity are sufficiently well understood that predictive models are being developed to aid resource managers. A critical missing missing piece of information for developing fully functional predictive models is the source of cysts and the factors that control excystment and encystment. This 3-year project is funded through a multi-year award. The original proposal was submitted with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences as lead institution and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) as collaborator. For fiscal reasons, both institutions and investigators have agreed to WHOI being the lead institution on the application to NOAA.

Expected Outcome:
The project addresses significant questions related to understanding the sources of HABs and the physical processes that influence their transport and fate. Specific focus on resuspension of cysts as as a mechanism by which cysts may be transported from bottom sediments into the overlying water column, or by which newly formed cysts may be maintained in near-bottom waters, will enhance predictive capability of models leading to HAB forecasting. Project results and their incorporation into regional physical modeling efforts will produce an up-to-date and expanded cyst map for the Gulf of Maine that will include information on regions of resuspended cyst reserviors.