Field sampling kicks off for linking freshwater HABs to marine impacts

SCCWRP and its partners have launched the field sampling for a study that will examine how freshwater toxins influence downstream waterbodies along the California coast.

The goal is to understand the linkages between harmful algal blooms (HABs) in freshwater systems and marine systems, particularly estuaries.

The findings of the study will help water-quality managers rethink historical HAB management paradigms, which have traditionally considered management of freshwater HABs to be distinct from that of marine HABs.

Researchers hope to develop best-practices strategies for monitoring and managing HABs at the land-sea interface, including identifying which toxins and toxigenic species should be monitored.