We are studying Pseudo-nitzschia, a marine phytoplankton that causes harmful algal blooms on the US west coast. In 2015, the toxin, domoic acid, produced by Pseudo-nitzschia, caused millions of dollars of losses to coastal economies through the closure of the lucrative razor clam, Dungeness crab and rock crab fisheries. This research is led by NOAA NWFSC scientists Vera Trainer and Brian Bill, and these others:
- Spencer Showalter (NWFSC, Hollings Scholar and Boston University)
- Christopher Ikeda (Romberg Tiburon Lab, San Franciso State Univ)
If Pseudo-nitzschia could talk, it would say “Global warming and ocean acidification, bring them on!”.
We will be collecting and preserving krill and copepods to characterize their physiology and biochemistry by measuring respiration rate, protein synthesis, oxidative stress, and fatty acid content. We will also be doing shipboard incubations for copepod egg production.
If Pseudo-nitzschia could talk, it would say “Global warming and ocean acidification, bring them on!”. Our goal on the cruise is to map the distribution of the cells and their toxin, but more importantly, to identify the environmental factors (including pH) that make it so successful, especially in a warming ocean.
West Coast Ocean Acidification 