HABCAST

Welcome To HABCAST

HABCAST, Harmful Algal Bloom Collaboration to Advance Stakeholder Tools, is a community of practice (CoP) that works to engage, share issues of concern, synthesize information, build expertise, acquire and develop new tools and products, and more fully integrate HAB outreach within Sea Grant and partner networks.

HABCAST is a network of people to facilitate data acquisition, synthesis, and the transfer of technology and knowledge.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been reported to occur in the surface waters of all 50 U.S. states and are increasing globally. HABs occur when photosynthetic algae that live in fresh, brackish or marine waters grow out of control (i.e., “bloom”) and have adverse effects on people or ecosystems.

These HABs can result in significant socioeconomic impacts due to shellfish closures, wild or farmed fish mortalities, human health impacts, lost coastal recreation and tourism, reduced waterfront property values, and consumers who avoid consuming seafood. As a result, HABs are not only compromising the health of our coastal ecosystems, but they are also affecting the resiliency of our communities and economies. Early detection can mitigate some of the harmful effects of HABs, thus reducing associated socioeconomic impacts.

Why A Community of Practice?

Communities of practice (CoP) are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain. Benefits of a HABCAST CoP to project partners and the larger national network include:

A mechanism for engagement on the development of decision-making tools is provided.
Capacity around satellite data use via value-added training is increased.
Ideas and lessons learned are shared.
Integrated, user-friendly HAB forecast services are delivered to a broad range of coastal stakeholders.
Research gaps are identified and filled, thus moving more states/regions towards more reliable and accurate forecasting models.
HAB products and decision support tools across the Sea Grant network are enhanced.

About The NOAA HAB Liaison

HABCAST is led by NOAA HAB Liaison Betty Staugler. Housed within Florida Sea Grant, Staugler forges and enhances partnerships by providing expertise, research, and extension services that leverage partners’ work to efficiently meet the needs of coastal and Great Lakes communities threatened by harmful algal blooms (HAB). This includes seeking new ways to extend NOAA HAB products and services, while also informing NCCOS, CoastWatch, and IOOS on Sea Grant stakeholder needs and research priorities.

Working Together

HABCAST
Network

By working together and through a national liaison, HABCAST establishes and maintains a network of people to facilitate data acquisition, synthesis, and the transfer of technology and knowledge.

The Sea Grant network is directly connected to communities and widely regarded as a trusted partner at local, state and national levels.

The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science develops HAB forecasts and predictive models for water bodies across the nation.

NOAA CoastWatch provides training on and access to global and regional satellite data products for near real-time applications.

Integrated Ocean Observing Systems collects, validates, and integrates data into shareable tools.

Learn more

Latest
Blogs

New Methods For Quantifying Spatial Extent of Cyanobacterial Blooms in the U.S. Across Different Geographic Scales

New Tool for Assessing Florida Red Tide Bloom Severity

Upcoming Workshops & Trainings

HAB Tools By Location

The following tabs contain links to existing monitoring and forecasting tools available nationally and in coastal regions and states. Tools include:

Real-time daily and multi-day imagery
Forecasts and warnings of HAB extent, trajectory and toxicity
Scenario-based predictive models
Monitoring and observations systems that support forecasts

More coming soon!

Agency	Tool	Description
NOAA NCCOS	Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring System	Real-time satellite products for use in locating, monitoring and quantifying algal blooms in coastal and lake regions of the US
CoastWatch	Satellite Data Products & Services	Value-added data provider that offers a range of services centered on satellite product development, data distribution and user capacity building, tool development and sometimes direct collaboration on projects and applications.
EPA	CyAN Mobile App	Easy-to-use, customizable mobile app that provides access to cyanobacterial bloom satellite data for over 2,000 of the largest lakes and reservoirs across the United States.
WHOI	U.S. National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms	Serves as a “clearinghouse” for information related to national and international activities on HAB issues, including lists of opportunities to participate in volunteer HAB monitoring across the U.S.

State/Region	Agency	Tool	Description
Pennsylvania	Regional Science Consortium	XXX	The Regional Science Consortium monitors a variety of algal concentrations in real-time between May and October.
	Erie County Department of Health	XXX	Map shows results of routine water tests, swimming advisories, warning about Harmful Algal Blooms, and is updated regularly from late May to end of October.
	GLOS	XXX	Provide real-time data to characterize the presence and toxicity of HABS and contribute to the development of an early warning system

State/Region	Agency	Tool	Description
Northeast	NERACOOS	Data Products	NERACOOS has multiple data products that includes real-time buoy map, historical data, ocean climate, sea surface temperature, and high-frequency radar.
Mid-Atlantic	MARACOOS	Ocean Maps	Visualization tool integrating near real-time observational assets and model forecasts that contribute to ocean monitoring in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Southeast	SECOORA	Data Portal	A data exploration tool with a customized public web interface that allows scientists, managers, and the general public to discover and access public data.
Rhode Island	University of Rhode Island	Narragansett Bay Long-Term Plankton Time Series	One of the world’s longest-running plankton surveys. Since 1957, weekly samples are collected to assess the phytoplankton community and characterize physical parameters of Narragansett Bay.
Virginia	VIMS	Chesapeake Bay Environmental Forecast System (CBEFS)	Tools predict current status of important environmental variables and how they are likely to change in the short-term.

State/Region	Agency	Tool	Description
Gulf of Mexico	NOAA	Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast	NCCOS monitors conditions daily and issues regular forecasts for red tide blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and East Coast of Florida
	NOAA	Harmful Algal Blooms Observing System	A tool for environmental managers, scientists, and the public to track and observe current and historical harmful algal bloom events in the Gulf of Mexico
	GCOOS	Red Tide Respiratory Forecast	A beach-level risk forecast activated during red tide conditions to inform beachgoers what impacts are expected to be at the beach during the day
Caribbean	CARICOOS	Ecosystem and Water Quality Dashboard	Map that shows the latest water quality results for beaches in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Florida	FDEP	Algal Bloom Monitoring and Response	Dashboard featuring information and real-time sampling updates for harmful algal blooms in Florida
	Mote	Beach Conditioning Reporting System	Environmental conditions reporting website and mobile app that provides daily near real-time beach conditions to the public
	USF	IRIS – Integrated Red tide Information System	Uses satellite observations, numerical models, and water sampling to provide information on location, concentration, size, and surface transport of red tides and other types of discolored water
	USF	Red Tide Prediction and Tracking	Models used to predict and trace red tide on the West Florida Shelf and the Tampa coastal region.
	FWC	Red Tide Status	Map that is updated daily at 5 pm and contains the last eight days of sampling for Karenia brevis around Florida’s coasts
Mississippi	DEQ	Beach Monitoring Program	Interactive map that monitors Enterococci and beach conditions for the Mississippi coast
Louisiana		SAM3HAB
Texas	Texas Sea Grant	Red Tide Rangers	Group of volunteers that monitor Texas coastal waters for the presence of harmful algal blooms
Texas	TPWD	Harmful Algal Blooms Webpage	Provides status reports for Harmful Algal Blooms in Texas coastal waters

State/Region	Agency	Tool	Description
Alaska	AOOS	Alaska Shellfish and HAB Data Portal	The portal provides access to phtoplankton monitoring and shellfish testing and information to help in making decisions about whether or not to recreationally harvest shellfish.
Pacific Northwest	NANOOS	Data Products	Products developed by NANOOS and partners to make observational and forecast data more accessible via data and visualization tools
Central & North California	CeNCOOS	CalHABMAP	HABMAP collects weekly phytoplankton and water quality data at nine locations along the California coast, provides timely updates on marine HAB events, and helps in understanding the timing, extent, and impact of these events on humans and the marine ecosystem.
Southern California	SCCOOS	CalHABMAP
California	CA.gov	California Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) Portal	A tool that focuses on freshwater and estuarine HABs to support coordination with statewide partners to address HABs
California	California HABMAP	C-HARM	Model that generates nowcasts and forecasts of the probability of blooms and dangerous levels of domoic acid off the coast of California