Harmful algal blooms (HABs)

Status, Trends, and Drivers of Harmful Algal Blooms Along the Freshwater to Marine Gradient in the San Francisco Bay Delta System

Raphael M. Kudela, Meredith D. A. Howard, Stephen Monismith, Hans W. Paerl

Article link: https://doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2023v20iss4art6

Harmful algal blooms, commonly referred to as HABs, are phenomena in which algae and other phytoplankton (e.g., microscopic plant-like organisms) grow explosively in certain conditions and create negative impacts to people and the environment. Examples of these impacts include production of toxins, reduction of oxygen levels in waterways, disruptions of food webs or nutrient cycles, and generally poor conditions. This chapter reviews the species and toxins that are involved with HABs in the San Francisco Estuary, environmental conditions which drive blooms, and the resulting impacts of these blooms and toxins to humans and the environment.