Workshop on the socio-economic effects of marine and fresh water harmful algal blooms in the United States

Presented at Workshop on the Socio-economic Effects of Marine and Fresh Water Harmful Algal Blooms in the United States, July 27 - August 5, 2020The US National Office for Harmful Algal Blooms at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) held a virtual workshop comprising four sessions between July 27 and August 5, 2020. This report summarizes the workshop proceedings and presents recommendations developed by participants during the discussion. The recommendations advance an assessment framework and a national research agenda that will lead to comprehensive evaluations of the socio-economic effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in fresh water (primarily the Great Lakes) and marine waters of the United States.Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR): NA14OAR4320158 and NA19NOS478018

Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease is an acute febrile, systemic vasculitic syndrome of an unknown etiology that primarily occurs in children younger than five years of age. The principal presentations of Kawasaki disease include fever, bilateral nonexudative conjunctivitis, erythema of the lips and oral mucosa, changes in the extremities, rash, and cervical lymphadenopathy. Coronary artery aneurysms or ectasia develops in 15% to 25% of untreated children with the disease, which may later lead to myocardial infarction, sudden death, or ischemic heart disease. Treatment with intravenous gamma globulin (IVIG) is effective, but the mode of action is still unclear. The development of a diagnostic test, a more specific therapy, and ultimately the prevention of this potentially fatal illness in children are all dependent upon the continued advances in determining the etiopathogenesis of this fascinating disorder

Medium-size-vessel vasculitis

Medium-size-artery vasculitides do occur in childhood and manifest, in the main, as polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), cutaneous PAN and Kawasaki disease. Of these, PAN is the most serious, with high morbidity and not inconsequential mortality rates. New classification criteria for PAN have been validated that will have value in epidemiological studies and clinical trials. Renal involvement is common and recent therapeutic advances may result in improved treatment options. Cutaneous PAN is a milder disease characterised by periodic exacerbations and often associated with streptococcal infection. There is controversy as to whether this is a separate entity or part of the systemic PAN spectrum. Kawasaki disease is an acute self-limiting systemic vasculitis, the second commonest vasculitis in childhood and the commonest cause of childhood-acquired heart disease. Renal manifestations occur and include tubulointerstitial nephritis and renal failure. An infectious trigger and a genetic predisposition seem likely. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IV-Ig) and aspirin are effective therapeutically, but in resistant cases, either steroid or infliximab have a role. Greater understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in these three types of vasculitis and better long-term follow-up data will lead to improved therapy and prediction of prognosis

GlobalHAB: Evaluating, reducing and mitigating the cost of Harmful Algal Blooms: A Compendium of case studies

3 pagesOver the last two decades, several reports have been compiled on what is known about the economic impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs; e.g., Anderson et al., 2000; Hoagland and Scatasta, 2006; Trainer and Yoshida, 2014, and Sanseverino et al., 2016). Although these reports attempted to gather comprehensive economic impact data, both the type and amount of data available were limited. One past study estimated the cost of HABs in the European Union at $800 million USD per year (Hoagland and Scatasta, 2006) but most of that cost was extrapolated for very few HAB organisms. Furthermore, most countries have neither conducted economic analyses of HABs nor collected data that can be used to generate reliable quantitative estimates of net economic losses and economic impacts. The lack of data, appropriate and standardized protocols, and the dearth of peer-reviewed studies hampers efforts to quantify the societal costs of increasingly frequent, intense and long-lasting HAB events and to help evaluate the cost of various strategies being developed for HAB prevention, control, and mitigation. [...

Introduction

4 pagesOver the last two decades, several efforts have been addressed to compile what is known about the economic impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs; e.g., Anderson et al., 2000; Hoagland and Scatasta 2006; Huppert and Trainer, 2014; Trainer and Yoshida, 2014; Sanseverino et al., 2016). One study estimated the annual cost of HABs in the European Union at 800 million USD (Hoagland and Scatasta, 2006) but most of that cost was extrapolated from very few HAB organisms. In China, a single Karenia mikimotoi event in 2012 caused up to 330 million USD loss to the mariculture industry, mostly cultivated abalone (Guo et al., 2014). Although past reports have attempted to gather comprehensive economic impact data (e.g., Trainer and Yoshida, 2014), both the type and amount of information were limited, highlighting the need for collaboration between HAB scientists and economists. Furthermore, most countries have neither conducted economic analyses of HABs nor collected data that can be used to generate reliable quantitative estimates of net economic losses and impacts. The lack of data, appropriate and standardized protocols, and the dearth of peer-reviewed studies hamper efforts to quantify the societal costs of regionally frequent, intense, and long-lasting HAB events and to help evaluate the cost of various strategies being developed for HAB prevention, control, and mitigation. [...]Peer reviewe

IOC-SCOR GlobalHAB Workshop: Evaluating, Reducing and Mitigating the Cost of Harmful Algal Blooms: a Compendium of Case Studies

2 pagesOver the last two decades, several re-ports have compiled what is known about the economic impacts of harm-ful algal blooms (HABs) [1-4]. Although these reports attempted to gather comprehensive economic impact data, both the type and amount of data available were limited. One past study estimated the cost of HABs in the European Union at $800 Million [2] but most of that cost was extrapolated for a very few HAB organisms. [...

Eutrophication and harmful algal blooms: A scientific consensus

In January 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a ‘‘roundtable discussion’’ to develop a consensus on the relationship between eutrophication and harmful algal blooms (HABs), specifically targeting those relationships for which management actions may be appropriate. Academic, federal, and state agency representatives were in attendance. The following seven statements were unanimously adopted by attendees based on review and analysis of current as well as pertinent previous data: (1) Degraded water quality from increased nutrient pollution promotes the development and persistence of many HABs and is one of the reasons for their expansion in the U.S. and other nations; (2) The composition–not just the total quantity–of the nutrient pool impacts HABs; (3) High-biomass blooms must have exogenous nutrients to be sustained; (4) Both chronic and episodic nutrient delivery promote HAB development; (5) Recently developed tools and techniques are already improving the detection of some HABs, and emerging technologies are rapidly advancing toward operational status for the prediction of HABs and their toxins; (6) Experimental studies are critical to further the understanding about the role of nutrients in HABs expression, and will strengthen prediction and mitigation of HABs; and (7) Management of nutrient inputs to the watershed can lead to significant reduction in HABs. Supporting evidence and pertinent examples for each consensus statement are provided herein