Operation of Texas Coast Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Network

Harmful algal blooms such as “red tide” can cause mortality of marine life, negatively affect human health, and harm coastal economies.

Traditionally, monitoring for harmful algal blooms in Texas has occurred when state agencies are notified of fish kills or discolored water. HRI will be deploying instruments at strategic locations along the Texas coast that are combined with artificial intelligence (AI) to detect harmful algae before they become problematic. The information allows resource managers and local officials time to let the public know in advance while also giving researchers insight into what might be causing blooms and how to contain and possibly prevent future events.