Red tide warning system
Published:06 Apr.2023 Source:Florida Atlantic University
The ability to detect red tide blooms at all life stages and cell concentrations is critical to increasing predictive capabilities and developing potential mitigation strategies to protect public health and vital resources.
Current methods used to monitor red tide such as microscopic identification and enumeration, standard flow cytometry, as well as others have limitations. Some of these limitations include constraints on size resolution and ranges of concentration, limited capacity for profiling related to space and time, as well as processing small volumes of samples. While these methods are used operationally, there are time delays with data reporting, and maintenance and personnel costs can be expensive.
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's College of Engineering and Computer Science and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute have developed the AUTOHOLO, a novel autonomous, submersible, 3D holographic microscope and imaging system, designed to be used in situ (in place) to study marine particles and plankton in their natural environment.Their study, published in the journal Harmful Algae, is the first to utilize holography to characterize red tide in the field and breaks new ground for monitoring harmful algal blooms (HABs) and tackling limitations associated with current methods used to monitor these blooms.