| Popis: |
Climate-driven changes in coastal ocean and ecological systems are, in some cases, exacerbated by localized human activities. These ecosystem alterations can be intensified by changes in circulation and nutrient availability, which affect the distribution of marine populations, including the occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs). There is no doubt that the problems caused by HABs are growing worldwide. Certain HABs are expected to increase as sea surface temperature rises, expanding the seasonal bloom opportunity and species distribution range. High temporal resolution monitoring on the oceanic coastal area of Uruguay was used to understand how changes in sea surface temperature may promote the emergence of harmful blooms and new toxins. Using long-term monitoring, two toxic dinoflagellate species were detected for the first time in Uruguayan coastal waters, including Protoceratium reticulatum, a yessotoxin producer, and Dinophysis tripos, a pectenotoxin producer. The observed warming in the last decade in the southwestern Atlantic coincides with phytoplankton species composition changes. In spring 2017, a huge P. reticulatum bloom was found concomitant with detection of a lipophilic toxin. Dinophysis tripos has also shown a higher abundance since 2016, but toxins associated with this species have not yet been characterized. |
