Webinar

Using FlowCam to Track Harmful Algal Bloom Dynamics in a Coastal Georgia Estuary

Presented by the Marine Technology Society

mallory-mintz-skidaway

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasingly recognized as a threat to coastal ecosystems and aquaculture operations—but in many regions, bloom dynamics remain poorly understood. In the Skidaway River Estuary near Savannah, Georgia, recurring blooms of Akashiwo sanguinea have coincided with larval oyster crashes at the UGA Marine Extension & Georgia Sea Grant Shellfish Research Lab.

In response, researchers at UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography launched a high-resolution monitoring program using FlowCam in January 2023. This initiative includes weekly phytoplankton imaging, nutrient sampling, and physicochemical measurements, enhanced by summer spatial surveys and molecular analyses to better understand bloom triggers and inform hatchery management.

What You’ll Learn
Join Dr. Natalie Cohen and Ph.D. student Mallory Mintz to learn how an oyster murder mystery helped launch a high-resolution monitoring and research effort to improve our understanding of HAB dynamics in coastal Georgia. This webinar will cover:

  • Observations of Akashiwo sanguinea and potential mechanisms larval mortality in an oyster hatchery
  • Establishment of a high-resolution HAB monitoring program 
  • How FlowCam enables rapid quantification of phytoplankton, and how it complements data from the NOAA's Phytoplankton Monitoring Network
  • An examination of environmental factors that may contribute to bloom initiation
  • Examples of how students can take advantage of imaging techniques, and how HAB data is made available to the public
  • How multiple analytical techniques including imaging, cytometry, and omics work together to help characterize plankton communities

Speakers

natalie-cohen-skidawayDr. Natalie Cohen
Assistant Professor, UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
A biological oceanographer, Dr. Cohen investigates how plankton interact with their chemical environment across diverse marine systems—from estuaries to the open ocean. Her research leverages molecular and imaging tools to examine the physiology and behavior of microeukaryotes.

mallory-mintz-skidawayMallory Mintz
Ph.D. Student, Cohen Lab, UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
Mallory studies harmful algal bloom dynamics in coastal Georgia. Her work combines field sampling, FlowCam imaging, and environmental analysis to uncover the seasonal and physical drivers of HABs in the Skidaway River Estuary.

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