Climate change has many consequences on marine life. Dr. Gobler and a team of researchers utilized data on changes in ocean temperature and growth of toxic algae in order to determine if there was a relationship. The two algae that were studied were Alexanderium Fundyense and Dinophysis Acuminate. At high concentrations, these algae are harmful and have the potential to cause diarrhetic, paralytic, and shell-fish poisoning illnesses. Gobler and his team of researchers focused on a three aspects of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB’s): duration, abundance, and distribution along the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Along the North Atlantic, they found that the annual growth rate of the two species of algae increased. They also found that the duration of the bloom season increased. Along the North Pacific, the trends were less pronounced, however, there was still a significant increase in the amount of algal blooms and duration of bloom season. This most likely occurred because the study was conducted from 1982 until present, and in that time period the Pacific showed less warming than the Atlantic. The findings of this study demonstrate that as ocean temperatures rise, there will be an increase in the intensity and duration of algal blooms.
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