August 24, 2023 — Scientists are monitoring an unusually large and long-lived algae bloom extending more than 100 miles across the Gulf of Maine – and keeping a close watch for any signs that the phytoplankton could trigger low-oxygen conditions in New England waters.
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire said Wednesday that they and partners in the region formed a network for measuring and monitoring the brown, coffee-colored bloom, consisting mostly of the dinoflagellate phytoplankton Tripos muelleri drifting in the water column under the surface.
The species is not unusual in New England waters and does not produce a toxin or present any other known risks to humans or animals, according to experts with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Harmful Algal Bloom observing network. “However, high biomass blooms like this one have the potential to cause low oxygen conditions when they decay,” according to a summary released by UNH researchers.
“This can negatively affect marine organisms, particularly ones inhabiting bottom waters and sediments.”
The bloom is notable because this is the first time Tripos muelleri has been seen at such high concentrations in summer in the Gulf of Maine. It first got the attention of UNH scientists in April when they noticed significant changes in the ocean carbon dioxide (CO2) and pH levels they regularly monitor off the coast of New Hampshire.