NCCOS Hosts Algal Toxin Training for Partners

Last month, NCCOS scientists taught staff from NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) how to analyze freshwater algal toxin data collected by NCCOS-designed sensors. The sensors are deployed on GLERL’s moored Environmental Sample Processors (ESPs) in Lake Erie from July through early October, when harmful algal blooms most commonly occur in the lake.

The NCCOS-developed sensors measure the dominant algal toxin in the lake — microcystin — and transmit results back to shore in near real–time, allowing GLERL staff to provide drinking water managers with early warning of an algal bloom’s location and toxicity, before the bloom reaches municipal water intakes. Having several personnel trained to produce quality-assured toxin data that can be quickly shared with drinking water managers is essential to safeguard public health.

To support GLERL’s network of moored ESPs, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute recently created the next generation ESP, which includes a miniaturized version of the NCCOS toxin sensor, housed in a torpedo-like autonomous underwater vehicle. This new, highly mobile system is helping GLERL supplement its moored ESP data with near real–time toxin monitoring data from a larger area.

Data collected by the moored and mobile sensors also inform NOAA’s harmful algal bloom forecast for Lake Erie, including the new experimental toxin component of the forecast. The forecast, which is operated by NCCOS, is based on a combination of modeling, satellite data, and field samples. During bloom season, the forecast provides the current extent of a bloom and five-day outlooks of where a bloom will travel and what algae concentrations are likely, allowing local authorities to make informed management decisions.

Together, NOAA’s field sampling and forecasting help stakeholders target their response to minimize algal bloom impacts in Lake Erie. Drinking water managers can adjust water treatment, as needed, or temporarily access alternative sources of water. State agencies can identify which areas might require swimming closures and public safety warnings. And commercial and recreational fishers and boaters can plan activities that are outside of the bloom.