Toxic "Red Tide" Populations in the Western Gulf of Maine: Sources, Transport, and Nutrient Environment

This project was able to document the distribution and abundance of
toxic Alexandrium cells in a major hydrographic system at a level of detail
never before possible. The Alexandrium bloom dynamics in the western Gulf of
Maine are now better understood than any other toxic or harmful algal species
anywhere in the world. The factors that regulate bloom development in the
coastal current were elucidated, and the importance of upwelling and
downwelling winds documented. The linkage between the location of patches of
cells and wind events was shown to be a critical determinant of the pattern of
toxicity along the coast, especially in southern Maine and Massachusetts.
Furthermore, the importance of the Casco Bay region as a "source" or initiation
zone was clearly demonstrated in both 1993 and 1994, indicating that the
toxicity that develops along several hundred miles of coastline has its origin
in a relatively small, restricted zone.