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Forecasting the Spring Blooms

WHOI biologist Don Anderson (left) and oceanographer Dennis McGillicuddy review the results of a computer simulation of the 2008 season for Alexandrium fundyense–a toxic form of algae–in New England waters, which began on April 1.  A combination of abundant beds of algal seeds and excess winter precipitation in the Northeast U.S. have set the stage for a potentially big bloom. The research team has been working on a computer model to predict the intensity and location of blooms of the toxic algae. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)