McGillicuddy, D. J., Woods Hole Oceanographic Insti, Woods Hole, USA, dmcgillicuddy@whoi.edu
Anderson, D. M., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, USA, danderson@whoi.edu
He, R. ., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA, rhe@ncsu.edu
Keafer, B. A., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, USA, bkeafer@whoi.edu
HINDCASTING THE HISTORIC 2005 NEW ENGLAND RED TIDE: FORCING MECHANISMS AND FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
In 2005, a massive bloom (“red tide”) of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense closed shellfish harvesting along the coastlines of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as a 40,000 km2 area of offshore, federal waters. Blooms of this organism are common in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) region, but outbreaks of this magnitude are rare – the most recent similar event being in 1972. Three factors have been identified to explain the massive 2005 bloom: high cyst abundance, heavy rainfall and runoff, and major storm events (“northeasters”) that pushed surface waters and cells to the shore and down the coast. We combine field observations with numerical model simulations to demonstrate that a major cyst deposition or accumulation event was the dominant factor leading to the historic 2005 New England red tide, and provide additional evidence that the persistence of that cyst deposit is likely to result in sustained and significant blooms in the coming years. Monitoring of the regional abundance of cysts may thus hold the key to interannual forecasts of A. fundyense bloom severity.
Oral presentation
Presentation is given by student: No
Session #:120
Date: 03-03-2008
Time: 16:15