Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution biologist Mike Brosnahan is leading a team to develop a system using next-generation robotic sensors. Those sensors will monitor coastal waters for disease-causing micro-algae. The project was funded as part of the $11 million strategic investment in aquaculture announced Wednesday by the National Sea Grant College Program/NOAA.
It’s called the PhytO-ARM system which stands for Phytoplankton Observing for Automated Real-time Management. The system will improve the ability to detect harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the toxins they produce. It will also provide aquaculturists, resource managers, and others detailed, real-time information about the bloom using a web-based, user-friendly dashboard.