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HOWEVER, IF WE WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE THINGS SAFER. THE ALASKA HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM NETWORK ASSEMBLES PARTNERS TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT HUMAN, WILDLIFE, AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH.

AS THE OCEAN WARMS AND FILLS WITH EXCESS NUTRIENTS FROM SURFACE RUNOFF, CERTAIN TYPES OF ALGAE CAN GROW OUT OF CONTROL AND PRODUCE DANGEROUS TOXINS.

TYPICALLY, THE HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMS DURING THE SUMMER SEASON. THE WARMER TEMPERATURES KEEP WATER FROM MIXING, ALLOWING THE ALGAE TO GROW MUCH FASTER.

NOT ONLY ARE HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS IN THE OCEAN DANGEROUS FOR ARCTIC TERNS, THEY CAN ALSO IMPACT HUMAN FOOD SOURCES AND HEALTH.

DURING THE SUMMER OF 2019, DOZENS OF ARCTIC TERNS WERE FOUND DEAD. RESEARCHERS WONDERED, "WHAT HAPPENED?"

Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" with metal leg band. At this time researchers put a metal band on the chick and glued a small (0.5 gram) VHF transmitter to the bird.

ARCTIC TERNS SPEND THEIR SUMMERS NESTING IN ALASKA AND PARTS OF THE ARCTIC. WHEN THE SEASON ENDS, THEY FLY SOUTH TO ANTARCTICA, EMBARKING ON THE LONGEST MIGRATION OF ANY ANIMAL ON EARTH!

ALTHOUGH OTHER BIRD DIE-OFFS HAD BEEN SEEN RECENTLY IN ALASKA, THERE WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT THE TERNS. THEY HAD BEEN POISONED.

BRIGHT GREEN ALGAE CAN OFTEN BE SPOTTED FLOATING IN THE OCEAN NEAR THE SURFACE. THEY CONSUME NUTRIENTS, LIKE NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS. IN A BALANCED ECOSYSTEM, THEY GROW AND PROVIDE FOOD FOR MANY SEA CREATURES, INCLUDING KRILL, SNAILS, AND JELLYFISH.

TERNS EAT KRILL AND FORAGE FISH LIKE HERRING AND SAND LANCE. USUALLY, THAT'S A NUTRITIOUS DIET. BUT WHEN HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS OCCUR, TOXINS CAN TAINT THE FOOD WEB FOR THE BIRDS.

SEABIRD DIE-OFFS IN ALASKA ARE BECOMING MORE FREQUENT. ALTHOUGH RESEARCHERS BELIEVE MOST BIRDS STARVE DURING THESE EVENTS, THERE MAY BE SOMETHING ELSE CONTRIBUTING TO SOME OF THE DEATHS -- HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS.

Biological Science Technician Maura Speck (USGS – ASC) about to release a red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) with a GPS transmitter attached.

Adult female caribou in the Porcupine herd equipped with a GPS-enabled video camera collar that shows the caribou’s point-of-view as she tries to avoid insect harassment by seeking non-vegetated, coastal habitat within the Yukon coastal plain. This video was collected in collaboration with the Yukon Government as part of a study on the influence of summer habit

North River Air pilot Taj Shoemaker getting ready for takeoff in Prince William Sound. 

Photo of Pacific capelin trawl catch in Cook Inlet Alaska. Capelin are cold water forage fish that play a key role in transferring energy between plankton and top marine predators. Seabirds, and their forage fish prey, serve as practical indicators of change in the marine environment— natural or human induced— and can be readily monitored at sea.

Bar-tailed godwit habitat on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.

Illustrates where Long-tailed Ducks were tracked using Argos Wildlife Tracking.

Lake in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. This is part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs.

Longnose sucker in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. Longnose suckers (Catostomus catostomus) were collected as part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs.

Fishing for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. Sam Graf (NPS – LACL) and Ashley Stanek (USGS – ASC) angle for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Wrangell St. Elias National Park as part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs. 

Round whitefish in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. Round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) were collected as part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs.

Burbot in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. Burbot (Lota lota) were collected as part of a study examining mercury in lake food webs.