NOAA USES REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY TO MONITOR AND
IDENTIFY HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS

Sept. 30, 2003 � Using remote sensing technology, scientists at NOAA have developed a way to identify and monitor harmful algal blooms. This monitoring will help detect HABs along the coastal areas of the U.S., where they are a growing concern, while providing more information to managers on how to reduce the impacts of these toxic blooms. (NOAA satellite image of a large K. brevis bloom that occurred on Sept 17, 2001, following the passage of Tropical Storm Gabrielle from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Scientists from the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science are monitoring HABs using a combination of ocean color satellite imagery with field and meteorological data.

Satellites from the Sea-viewing Wide Field of view Sensor (SeaWiFS), owned by OrbImage, provides information on the color of the water that can be used to determine characteristics of algae blooms. These satellite data, in conjunction with analysis of wind data from the NOAA National Weather Service and NOAA National Data Buoy Center, and field data from water samples, provide the team with enough information to predict bloom movement, landfall, persistence and intensity.

Before SeaWiFS scientists had no means other than field sampling to monitor HABs. The laborious and expensive sampling limited the ability of managers to determine the extent of the blooms.

Currently, NOAA is routinely monitoring HABs in the Gulf of Mexico. The SeaWiFS data have helped identify the extent and magnitude of the blooms. On the Florida Coast, the satellite imagery, coupled with models, has provided advanced detection of blooms, allowing state and local officials to better direct resources for sampling. In Washington State, the technology has improved sampling and research on domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by a diatom, which may cause permanent short-term memory loss in victims and is associated with Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP).

Upon detection of such HABs, state managers plan monitoring for shellfish beds and for stranded mammals, such as the endangered manatees, and provide advisories to local government to address beach cleanup and business concerns.

The NOAA Ocean Service, which includes NCCOS, is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation’s coasts and oceans. It balances environmental protection with economic prosperity in fulfilling its mission of promoting safe navigation, supporting coastal communities, sustaining coastal habitats and mitigating coastal hazards.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation�s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Harmful Algal Blooms

NOAA Remote Sensing Team

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

NOAA Ocean Service

Media Contact:
Glenda Powell, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066 ext. 191