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Detecting a Harmful Algal Bloom

Guest student Stacey Lee recovers water samples from a CTD rosette on the deck of the R/V Oceanus during a May 2008 cruise. Lee and others on board were studying the formation of harmful algal blooms, or “red tides.” The samples such as these allow researchers to observe and model the patterns and mechanisms leading to occasional blooms of harmful algae that can cause widespread dieoffs of marine animals and human health problems.

(Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)