Harmful algal blooms in the Alaskan Arctic: an emerging threat as oceans warm

Details

• Journal Title:
  Oceanography
• Personal Author:
  Anderson, D. M. ; Fachon, E. ; Hubbard, K. H. ; Lefebvre, K. A. ; Lin, P. ; Pickart, R. S. ; Richlen, M. ; Sheffield, G. ; Van Hemert, C.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; NWFSC (Northwest Fisheries Science Center) ; OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; GOMO (Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing) ; CINAR (Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region) ; NOS (National Ocean Service) ; NCCOS (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science)
• Description:
  Harmful algal blooms (HABs) present an emerging threat to human and ecosystem health in the Alaskan Arctic. Two HAB toxins are of concern in the region: saxitoxins (STXs), a family of compounds produced by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella, and domoic acid (DA), produced by multiple species in the diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia. These potent neurotoxins cause paralytic and amnesic shellfish poisoning, respectively, in humans, and can accumulate in marine organisms through food web transfer, causing illness and mortality among a suite of wildlife species. With pronounced warming in the Arctic, along with enhanced transport of cells from southern waters, there is significant potential for more frequent and larger HABs of both types. STXs and DA have been detected in the tissues of a range of marine organisms in the region, many of which are important food resources for local residents. The unique nature of the Alaskan Arctic, including difficult logistical access, lack of response infrastructure, and reliance of coastal populations on the noncommercial acquisition of marine resources for nutritional, cultural, and economic well-being, poses urgent and significant challenges as this region warms and the potential for impacts from HABs expands.
• Keywords:
  Algal Blooms Climatic Changes Ocean Temperature Algal Blooms Climatic Changes Ocean Temperature
• Source:
  Oceanography 35(3–4):130–139
• Series:
  ECOHAB Contribution   1007
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2022.121
• Format:
  PDF
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  Grant no. NA14OAR4320158 ; Grant no. NA20NOS4780195 ; Grant no. NA19OAR4320074
• Place as Subject:
  Arctic Coast (Alaska)
• License:
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Rights Information:
  CC BY
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:2fb1aa1a7b0495a16f2b10794bd227cf2444db0655c44a38a17a26837d31ef99
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48773/noaa_48773_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.20 MB ]