New Project to Forecast Toxic Algal Blooms on Pacific Northwest Beaches
NOAA and the National Science Foundation have awarded $824,225 in competitive funds for the first year of an anticipated four-year $2.8 million project to develop early warning forecast models for toxic harmful algal blooms, or HABs, on Pacific Northwest beaches. Funds were awarded to the University of Washington and the University of California at Santa Cruz through the interagency Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) program.
Pseudo-nitzschia algae occur along the Washington coast and produce toxins that can accumulate in shellfish, particularly razor clams and Dungeness crabs. People who eat these can become sick or even die.
Related NCCOS Center(s): CSCOR
Shorter web link for sharing: http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/?p=724
