HAB Risk : Demonstration of a surveillance and drift forecasts service for algal blooms in the Baltic Sea

Widely distributed around the globe, cyanobacteria grows in marine and fresh waters in colonies large enough to be seen from space. The association of toxicity with such blooms first affect invertebrates and fishes and frequently leads to the closure of recreational waters when blooms happen.

Even if they do not product toxins, these blooms include a variety of environmental impacts that arise from having excessive algal populations. Both these categories of blooms are therefore potentially harmful to ecosystems and environment, hence their name, harmful algal blooms (HABs).

In the Baltic Sea, summer HABs regularly occur. Either toxic or not, they are considered as a major issue. Coastal areas are of major concern since they concentrate a wide ranges of issues.

Considering the combination of the adverse impacts of cyanobacteria on aquatic systems that may in turn affect various economic sectors and develop major public health issues, the development of large scale monitoring tool of cyanobacterial blooms, such as HAB Risk, is expected to benefit local population, tourism, and aquaculture.