Krista's research project involves the development and improvement of a new phytoplankton monitoring program at FIT. This project incorporates weekly seawater sample collection from both IRL and Atlantic beach sites, and microscopic analysis of phytoplankton to detect toxin-producing HAB species. These long-term monitoring data serve two important purposes: 1) they are incorporated into a federally managed, nationwide dataset for HAB monitoring, and 2) provide IRL-specific trends on toxic species that are used to assess potential impacts on IRL marine wildlife, including marine mammals.
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