Harmful Algal Blooms

Algae and cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) are microorganisms naturally living in fresh and marine waters. Under certain conditions, these organisms can proliferate rapidly, leading to dense growths known as ‘blooms’.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can have significant economic impacts on European countries, affecting various industries and sectors, threatening ecosystem functioning and degrading water quality for diverse uses such as recreation, drinking water and fisheries. Some species of these blooms also release harmful toxins, which can pose serious health risks to humans and animals.

The Oder river disaster in 2022, when massive fish kills impacted the Oder River due to a toxic algal bloom, highlighted the potential of HAB causing important societal and economic implications across EU borders and the need of a cross-boundary, large-scale monitoring and alerting system.

HAB-Hub

A Near Real-Time Monitoring System for Harmful Algal Blooms in European Waters

A European Parliament Pilot Project ‘HAB-Hub’ aims to develop a prototype system for the near-real-time (NRT) monitoring and prediction of HABs in aquatic environments at a pan-European scale.

The prototype system will take advantage from the acknowledged Earth Observation (EO) synoptic view and high frequency capabilities, supported by in situ data, essential to provide validation and augment prediction accuracy. The project will benefit from the experiences gathered by past projects and similar operational systems worldwide. It will assess, improve and scale-up existing EO processing and analytical chains to detect in near-real-time HAB events in European waters. It will compile information on key drivers of blooms and develop a predictive system for severe blooms in Europe. 

Project milestones

• State-of-the-art review and fitness-for-purpose assessment of EO products and methods for HAB detection
• Definition of a blueprint for an effective, large-scale HAB detection system
• Development of EO-based temporal analysis and pattern detection techniques at large scale
• Implementation of molecular-based techniques for detection of toxins supporting HABs detection and monitoring.
• Creation of a database of past HAB events over EU territories and evaluation of candidate systems in retrospective mode (hindcast experiment) answering the question: ‘what would have been the performance of such a system if it had been in place in the past?’
• Development of statistical time-series models for HAB prediction and determination of output bloom warning levels
• Near-real time experiment of a 6-month period. The experiment will rely on a prototype platform illustrating results and transmitting alerts, in selected regions within Member States. The system's performance, aiming for TRL 6[1], will be tested in relevant environments, ideally involving local authorities and relying on in situ data