Image

Monitoring the Tides

June 14, 2017

Crew on the R/V Connecticut load an Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) for deployment in the Gulf of Maine to monitor for harmful algae, which can cause illnesses in humans when they eat contaminated shellfish. The instrument samples seawater, filters out cells, and rapidly analyzes the DNA. The real-time data is then transmitted to scientists onshore who share the data with public health agencies. WHOI biologist Don Anderson will give a talk about his lab’s work on red tides, or harmful algal blooms, June 15 at 6 p.m. at Highfield Hall & Gardens in Falmouth, Mass., as part of a series on research in local waters. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)