GlobalHAB: A New Program to Promote International Research, Observations, and Modeling of Harmful Algal Blooms in Aquatic Systems

Abstract

ABSTRACT. From 1998 to 2013, the international community of scientists researching harmful algal blooms (HABs) in marine systems worked through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO and the Scienti c Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) to better understand the ecological and oceanographic controls on these natural events that cause harm to humans and ecosystems. During this period, IOC and SCOR cosponsored the Global Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (GEOHAB) program to facilitate progress in HAB research, observations, and modeling. In 2016, building on the foundation provided by GEOHAB, IOC and SCOR launched a new HAB project design to extend research into freshwater\rcritical infrastructure to support meeting planning, communication, development of scienti c publications, and capacity building.\r6. GlobalHAB will o er a mechanism for interaction with other national and international organizations and proj- ects, building on the successful collaborations established by GEOHAB.\r7. GlobalHAB will endorse and provide an international framework for sci- enti c projects and activities that, by addressing HAB research at national or regional levels, contribute to the implementation of GlobalHAB objectives.\rGlobalHAB recognizes that much remains to be learned about HABs in order to help protect marine ecosystems and human health and that there are advantages to bringing marine and fresh- water HAB scientists together to work on issues of common interest. Therefore, following on from GEOHAB, the general mission of GlobalHAB is to foster inter- national cooperative research on HABs; its overall goal is to improve understand- ing and prediction of HABs in aquatic ecosystems and also to improve manage- ment and mitigation of their impacts. To achieve this goal, GlobalHAB will:\r• Address the scienti c and societal challenges of HABs, including their environmental, human health, and economic impacts, in a rapidly changing world.\r• Consolidate linkages with broader scientific elds and regional and interna- tional initiatives relevant to HABs.\r• Foster the development and adoption of advanced, cost-efective technologies.\r• Promote training, capacity building, and communication of HAB research to society.\r• Serve as a liaison between the HAB- related scienti c community, stakeholders, and policymakers toward informing science-based decision-making systems and address several topics related and in a rapidly changing world.\r