Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, threaten marine life and human health every year.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can pose a threat to people, pets, and livestock, as well as aquatic and marine life. WHOI researchers in the Anderson and Brosnahan Labs are investigating what drives HABs; their efforts to track blooms are leading to innovative new ways to relay real-time warnings to communities to prevent illness and death from HAB toxins. Researchers Don Anderson, Mindy Richlen, and Evie Fachon weigh in on some common misconceptions about HABs and human health. Harmful algal bloom (HAB) cells shown under a microscope. (Photo by Don Anderson, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Myth 1 HABs always change the color of the water. HABs used to be known as “red tides,” and the term is still used in some areas today, particularly those where large, visible blooms regularly occur. Algal blooms vary in size and duration, and truly massive events can be seen from space. The concentration of single-celled algae in the water column affects water clarity and color—milli...