A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is a biological process in which certain phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, or macroalgae proliferate rapidly and reach high biomass, producing adverse ecological or health effects via toxin production, hypoxia, or habitat alteration. HABs are driven by interactions among nutrient enrichment (especially nitrogen and phosphorus), light, temperature, hydrography, and species-specific physiology, often resulting in dominance of toxin-producing taxa such as some dinoflagellates, diatoms, or cyanobacteria. These blooms can disrupt food webs, cause mass mortalities of aquatic organisms, and generate bioaccumulated toxins that affect higher trophic levels, including humans, through consumption or exposure.
From sea lettuce adorning tidal pools and bull kelp left in windrows at the high tide line to towering underwater forests of giant kelp providing refuge and food for countless species, British Columbia's seaweeds are both ...
Ecology
Jun 17, 2026
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There is a more than 60% chance that a "super" El Niño will develop by the end of this year.
Plants & Animals
Jun 17, 2026
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It's official: El Niño is back. By late fall 2026, forecast models give a 2-in-3 chance of a strong-to-very-strong El Niño affecting the weather, climate and ocean temperatures across the planet.
Environment
Jun 15, 2026
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Marine mammal stranding teams have completed major response activities for two deceased juvenile humpback whales discovered less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) apart in Monterey Bay earlier this month and issued preliminary ...
Ecology
Jun 15, 2026
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A new study challenges a long-standing assumption about how cyanobacteria survive environmental stress. The study, led by researchers at the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR)—the Kinneret Limnological ...
Ecology
Jun 13, 2026
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As toxic algal blooms intensify around the world, a renowned Bowling Green State University researcher continues to lead the global conversation on how to prevent them, keeping the university and its Center for Great Lakes ...
Ecology
Jun 11, 2026
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Algal blooms can seem to appear overnight. A stretch of ocean that looked clear days earlier can suddenly appear discolored and sometimes pose risks to ecosystems and human health. But scientists say blooms are rarely sudden—understanding ...
Environment
Jun 3, 2026
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43
You've probably seen slimy mats of brownish green clinging to rocks in streams or on lake beds, and perhaps not given it another thought. But George Mason University's Rosalina Stancheva Christova has. For more than 20 years, ...
Ecology
Jun 1, 2026
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Wild dolphins are known for their complex social lives, but new research shows those social networks can be influenced by human activity.
Plants & Animals
May 28, 2026
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Municipalities and federal agencies monitor U.S. waters for microcystins, a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, but a University of Michigan study shows that the blooms produce a greater range of potentially ...
Environment
May 27, 2026
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