The Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) is a public community college in Beaufort, South Carolina that serves the Lowcountry region of South Carolina.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are natural events that can also be fostered by anthropogenic pressures on aquatic ecosystems. Some HABs affect aquatic fauna (including wild and cultured fish and the habitat) with subsequent impacts on human well-being. Other HABs are caused by species producing natural toxins that cause human health problems due to the ingestion of contaminated seafood, direct contact with water, or inhalation of the aerosolized toxins. Monitoring the HAB causative organisms and their toxins is essential for deciding closures of harvesting and commercialization of sea products or allowing access to beaches in order to avoid human illness. Interdisciplinary research contributes to predictions of the occurrence of many blooms. Time series analyses indicate that some HABs may increase and intensify with global change in certain areas. The sustainable use of natural resources is mandatory to minimize this trend, for the health of humanity and the oceans.
