29 research outputs found
Scientific assessment of marine harmful algal blooms
Algae are the most abundant photosynthetic organisms in marine ecosystems and are essential components of marine food webs. Harmful algal bloom or âHABâ species are a small subset of algal species that negatively impact humans or the environment. HABs can pose health hazards for humans or animals through the production of toxins or bioactive compounds. They also can cause deterioration of water quality through the buildup of high biomass, which degrades aesthetic, ecological, and recreational values.
Humans and animals can be exposed to marine algal toxins through their food, the water in which they swim, or sea spray. Symptoms from toxin exposure range from neurological impairment to gastrointestinal upset to respiratory irritation, in some cases resulting in severe illness and even death. HABs can also result in lost revenue for coastal economies dependent on seafood harvest or tourism, disruption of subsistence activities, loss of community identity tied to coastal resource use, and disruption of social and cultural practices. Although economic impact assessments to date have been limited in scope, it has been estimated that the economic effects of marine HABs in U.S. communities amount to at least $82 million per year including lost income for fisheries, lost recreational opportunities, decreased business in tourism industries, public health costs of illness, and expenses for monitoring and management. As reviewed in the report, Harmful Algal Research and Response: A Human Dimensions Strategy1, the sociocultural impacts of HABs may be significant, but remain mostly undocumented
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Submillimeter and Microwave Residual Losses in Epitaxial Films of Y-Ba-Cu-O and Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O
We have used a novel bolometric technique and a resonant technique to obtain accurate submillimeter and microwave residual loss data for epitaxial thin films of YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7], Tl[sub 2]Ca[sub 2]Ba[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 10] and Tl[sub 2]CaBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 2]O[sub 8]. For all films we obtain good agreement between the submillimeter and microwave data, with the residual losses in both the Y-Ba-Cu-O and Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O films scaling approximately as frequency squared below [approximately] 1 THz. We are able to fit the losses in the Y-Ba-Cu-O films to a two fluid and a weakly coupled grain model for the a-b planeconductivity, in good agreement with results from a Kramers-Kronig analysis of the loss data