Dataset Information

Slicing the Pie: Interpreting harmful algal blooms one pie chart at a time.

ABSTRACT: The Earth's oceans are home to a diverse array of life, from large marine mammals to microscopic organisms. Among the most important are the marine phytoplankton, which comprise the basis of marine food webs, and also produce a large percentage of the Earth's oxygen through photosynthesis. Although the vast majority of phytoplankton are essential to ocean health, several dozen species produce potent toxins, and can form what are called Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). This activity focuses on the importance of HABs, as well as the types of data scientists collect to understand blooms. In the classroom exercises, students will calculate the proportional abundance (% contribution) of five HAB species present in water samples, and use these data to create pie graphs to depict species composition. Students will then compare these results with levels of HAB toxins in water samples collected over the same time period. Thought questions challenge students to develop hypotheses regarding how changes in the HAB community may relate to observed trends in toxin concentrations. This activity was successfully taught to visually impaired students who were able to complete the pie charts and answer the thought questions.

SUBMITTER: Richlen ML

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9838810 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Slicing the Pie: Interpreting harmful algal blooms one pie chart at a time.

Richlen Mindy L ML Curran Mary Carla MC Chadwick Christina C Hubbard Katherine A KA

Science activities 20220813 4

The Earth's oceans are home to a diverse array of life, from large marine mammals to microscopic organisms. Among the most important are the marine phytoplankton, which comprise the basis of marine food webs, and also produce a large percentage of the Earth's oxygen through photosynthesis. Although the vast majority of phytoplankton are essential to ocean health, several dozen species produce potent toxins, and can form what are called Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). This activity focuses on the im ...[more]

PMID: 36643012

Similar Datasets

Project description:Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are of global concern, as their presence is often associated with socio-economic and environmental issues including impacts on public health, aquaculture and fisheries. Therefore, monitoring the occurrence and succession of HABs is fundamental for managing coastal regions around the world. Yet, due to the lack of adequate in situ measurements, the detection of HABs in coastal marine ecosystems remains challenging. Sensors on-board satellite platforms have sampled the Earth synoptically for decades, offering an alternative, cost-effective approach to routinely detect and monitor phytoplankton. The Red Sea, a large marine ecosystem characterised by extensive coral reefs, high levels of biodiversity and endemism, and a growing aquaculture industry, is one such region where knowledge of HABs is limited. Here, using high-resolution satellite remote sensing observations (1km, MODIS-Aqua) and a second-order derivative approach, in conjunction with available in situ datasets, we investigate for the first time the capability of a remote sensing model to detect and monitor HABs in the Red Sea. The model is able to successfully detect and generate maps of HABs associated with different phytoplankton functional types, matching concurrent in situ data remarkably well. We also acknowledge the limitations of using a remote-sensing based approach and show that regardless of a HAB's spatial coverage, the model is only capable of detecting the presence of a HAB when the Chl-a concentrations exceed a minimum value of ~ 1 mg m-3. Despite the difficulties in detecting HABs at lower concentrations, and identifying species toxicity levels (only possible through in situ measurements), the proposed method has the potential to map the reported spatial distribution of several HAB species over the last two decades. Such information is essential for the regional economy (i.e., aquaculture, fisheries & tourism), and will support the management and sustainability of the Red Sea's coastal economic zone.

Dataset Information

Slicing the Pie: Interpreting harmful algal blooms one pie chart at a time.

Publications

Slicing the Pie: Interpreting harmful algal blooms one pie chart at a time.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets