Project ongoing to determine Algal Toxins in US National Park waterways

Key takeaways: 

• Scientists from the US Geological Survey and National Park Service partnered on a first-of-its-kind, national toxic algal bloom, or HAB, area study that started this summer and will persist over the following two years.
• HABs are a global problem that endangers human and aquatic ecosystem health and can induce extreme economic damages. 

Project afoot for Algal Toxins: 

Certain algae have algal toxins and microscopic water plants called phytoplankton and can induce acute and chronic diseases in humans and wildlife. 

Financial damages connected to HABs include recreational and fisheries revenues, reduced property values, and improved drinking-water treatment expenses.

The researchers concerned in the project, "Rapid Response Strategy for Potential Toxin Exposures from HABs in Coastal and Shoreline Areas of National Parks," seek to manage critical management requirements associated with HAB monitoring and reaction in national parks.

Professional and prepared citizen scientists use creative techniques to test and monitor HABs in freshwater and marine environments across 18 US national parks. 

The new suite of simple, low-cost selection processes can study up to 32 freshwater and 25 marine algal toxins.

"We are very keen regarding this multi-agency cooperative effort," expressed Jennifer Graham, USGS project co-lead. 

"The end objective is to deliver the data required for the National Park Service to develop comprehensive guidance on HAB monitoring, toxin testing, and rapid reaction protocols."

"We're seeing HABs in new areas," stated Jamie Kilgo, project co-lead and marine ecologist at the NPS. "We ought to monitor places where they are a known problem and predict where we might find them in the future so we can save visitors, pets, park staff, volunteers, and wildlife."

Scientists set six marine and 12 freshwater parks with frequent HABs and possible human or wildlife health problems for the program. Over the summer, the agencies introduced NPS technicians and 11 resident scientists to safely observe and gather water samples for added research so the USGS and partners could efficiently determine the existence of probable HABs.