MONITORING AND MAPPING TOXIC BLOOMS OF KARENIA BREVIS ON THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA

摘要

Blooms of toxic algae are increasing in magnitude and frequency around the globe, causing extensive economic and environmental damage. Impacts of this phenomenon directly affect the aquaculture, tourism, and fishing industries, but scientist have only recently investigated the scope of indirect affects surrounding Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Although HABs occur naturally, the exponential increase in nutrients, heavy metals, and dissolved organic matter that enter freshwater and marine systems have been implicated at several locations around the world. Specifically, on the west coast of Florida, blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (Davis) have been occurring annually for the last twenty years. Numerous tourist destinations and shellfish aquaculture facilities are located on the western coast of Florida where wind and current patterns continuously push offshore bloom events. Effects of K. brevis include severe respiratory irritation, fish kills, and toxin bioaccumulation in shellfish beds. Originally, monitoring and mitigation efforts relied on visual confirmation of water discoloration, fish kills, and laborious cell counts. The progression of technology allowed for periodical single point sampling along transects lines using expensive and time consuming research cruises. As health and economic implications became more apparent, the need for early detection and continual monitoring of K. brevis blooms were realized. The ability to accurately detect and predict where blooms develop and where they make landfall (Tampa, Sarasota, Venice, etc) would greatly enhance the warning system used to prepare tourism and aquaculture facilities. Recently, a long wavelength capillary waveguide spectrometer was developed and integrated into Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) platforms. The instrument can detect K. brevis cells in mixed.