Guide for designing and implementing a plan to monitor toxin-producing microalgae. 2nd Edition.

Abstract

The first edition of this manual was first published in 2011 in Spanish. Pigmented phytoplankton is the main primary producer and constitutes the foundation of the marine food webs. Blooms, the explosive growth of phytoplankton, are natural phenomena that help to support the production of bivalves and small pelagic fish such as sardines and anchovies. Through photosynthesis, phytoplankton synthethizes organic material using solar energy, macronutrients — atmospheric CO2 and nitrates, phosphates and silicates dissolved in the water — and trace elements (e.g. trace metals and vitamins). In this way, phytoplankton growth acts like a “biological carbon pump” that helps to offset the greenhouse effect. In addition, phytoplankton populations excrete dimethyl sulphide (DMS) into the atmosphere, a gas that contributes to the formation of nuclei of condensed water, thus generating clouds and counteracting excessive solar radiation. Not all of these blooms are beneficial, however. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) is a term adopted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO; it is internationally accepted to refer to any proliferation of microalgae (regardless of the concentration) perceived as harmful owing to its negative impact on public health, aquaculture, the environment and/or recreational activities.