Nutrients provides the raw materials needed to fuel algal blooms, the rapid growth of single-celled algae in lakes or the ocean. Increasing nutrients and water temperature can also alter the ecology of aquatic systems, creating conditions that favor Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) by algae capable of producing toxins. Lake Erie and other bodies of water in Ohio and around the world are experiencing increasing numbers of HAB-related problems. Blooms of these nuisance species can result in a number of environmental problems such as illness, foul odors and bad taste. When the algae die, they sink to the bottom and decompose. The result is a drop in oxygen in bottom waters called hypoxia or if no oxygen remains, anoxia. That can release trace metals into the water or make the water more corrosive. I use remote sensing to study the distribution and compositon of algae to monitor and predict HABs.

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