Quantifying Harmful Algal Blooms in Alaska

We are measuring microalgal abundance and its effect on biodiversity in Northwest Alaska. This project includes facilitating water eDNA sampling of 90 aquatic sites at different points in time and along spatial gradients, measuring cyanobacteria levels using qPCR, assessing community composition using prokaryotic and eukaryotic metabarcoding, and correlate community profile turnover with cyanobacteria levels to investigate community-level impacts of algal blooms across environmental gradients.