Algal Blooms and Proliferations

This course is intended to provide information to the general public who may be curious after seeing a TV clip or read a news article about harmful algal bloom. It will cover 13 of the known toxins associated with harmful algae, their impacts on human and animal health, and how we detect those toxins and their associated algae. Harmful and nuisance algae are a global phenomenon. They are found in marine and freshwater systems. They can impact human and animal health, the food supply, the water supply, and tourism. Lastly, this course will discuss the different techniques used for mitigating the presence of harmful algae, their impact on water bodies and recreation, as well as how they might be in your food. It is intended to follow up our first three courses: Introduction to algae, Algal biotechnology, and Introduction to seaweeds. This course was produced by the Algae Technology Educational Consortium and UC San Diego with funding from the Algae Foundation, the National Renewable Energy Lab, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

• Introduction to Algal Blooms
• This section will provide a brief introduction to the course as well as background information on algal blooms and proliferations.
• Algal Toxins
• This section will cover 13 different kinds of algal toxins, the algae that are responsible for their production, and their impacts on human and animal health.
• Monitoring and Mitigation
• Algal blooms are cosmopolitan and increasing in presence globally. This section will cover methods for monitoring and mitigating blooms.
• Expanded Impacts of Harmful Algae
• This last section includes how algae impact more than just our waterbodies, from our food to the economy.