Harmful Algal Bloom Marine Observation Network (HABMON)

Time and resources limit the information that marine scientists can collect from Florida's vast coastal waters. Sampling weekly or monthly provides only snapshots of coastal conditions. To acquire the kind of real-time information that is invaluable, researchers need to collect biological and physical data every hour, even at night or during storms.

In 2000, the FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) built a floating platform with automatic sensors to provide a variety of information about Florida's coastal ecosystems. Researchers named the platform  MERHAB Autonomous Research Vessel for In-Situ Sampling, or MARVIN. MERHAB is the acronym for Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program that provided the initial funding; in situ is a Latin term referring to the study of a process in the environment where it naturally occurs.

The solar-powered MARVIN platform, first deployed for three years in the St. Johns River, was based on a pontoon boat for portability and ease of maintenance. Because the first MARVIN was so successful, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Florida provided funding to build two additional MARVINs. Over the next eight years, FWRI deployed the platforms in the upper part of the Caloosahatchee River, near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee estuary, and near Long Boat Key in Sarasota Bay. One of the original floating platforms is being rebuilt for use in Old Tampa Bay.

The MARVIN systems take most measurements every hour at the water surface and just above the bottom. In the water, these systems measure salinity, temperature, chlorophyll and phycocyanin fluorescence (indicators of algal biomass), pH, turbidity (an indicator of water clarity), dissolved oxygen, nitrogen concentrations, and the speed and direction of currents.  Above the water, the systems measure wind speed and direction, rainfall, barometric pressure, humidity, and visible light. Each MARVIN transmits information through satellites to the Coastal Ocean Monitoring & Prediction System Web site, where anyone can see and use the data.

A new generation of monitoring system uses a single box that can be mounted on docks or seawalls for easy access. These new platforms, together with the remaining MARVIN, make up the Harmful Algal Bloom Marine Observation Network (HABMON). The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which manages NOAA's Florida Coastal Management Program, is a partner in the program. FWRI also cooperates with the University of South Florida, Sarasota County, and Mote Marine Laboratory to operate HABMON platforms on a fixed tower near Port Manatee in Tampa Bay and on a dock in Sarasota Bay.

HABMON will be valuable in monitoring long-term environmental changes in Florida--helping, for example, to determine whether increasing pollution stimulates harmful algal blooms. Scientists can see short bursts of nutrients as they enter the ecosystem and gather evidence on their origins. The HABMON platforms can also demonstrate the effects of regulatory changes on HABs to help determine the most effective policies for improving the environment.  The platforms are an effective tool to enhance understanding of factors contributing to harmful algal blooms.