HABILE Final Scientific Report

In the last two decades a noticeable increase in the occurrence of the marine and coastal “Harmful Algal Blooms”, so called HABs, has been recorded. HAB may develop rapidly with a significant increase in the local population of microscopic and macroscopic algae that can cause harm to the environment and human activities in a multitude of ways. Some toxic phytoplankton species are consumed by filter-feeding organisms, leading to different types of illness in human consumers eating the e.g. shellfish. During the last fifteen years, economic losses to fisheries and aquaculture industry have been reported in various European marine waters. HABILE has significantly improved the scientific foundation for the monitoring and prediction of HABs hampering human activities in three major European coastal/marine ecosystems. During the project the four regional ecosystem models are in operation for respectively the North Sea/Skagerrak, The Baltic Sea and Galican Rias has been implemented, expanded and assessed with dedicated HAB modules at gender specific level. Monitoring and early warning methodologies for identification of possible HAB events have been developed and evaluated. Scenario ecosystem simulations had been done and impact assessments performed. The link to nutrient loads and balances for the HAB occurrences are drawn however the triggering factors also include the biological and physical initial and development conditions. The approach of an integrated monitoring, including in situ and satellite EO data sources, data assimilation tools and numerical model predictions are a requisite for efficient monitoring and forecasting of HAB events. The socio- economic impact of HAB has been studied and a methodology for its impact assessment suggested.