The situation

"Brown Tide," which is caused by massive blooms of Aureococcus anophagefferens, is a phenomenon of interest and great concern to scientists, resource managers, government officials, fishers and users of Long Island's east end and south shore bays. Since bodies of water in New Jersey and Rhode Island have also been affected, stakeholders in these states are also concerned.

In Summer 1999, extensive blooms of brown tide returned to Long Island's coastal waters, having devastating impacts on coastal resources. Brown tide has had severe impacts on eel grass populations and the once-thriving Peconic Estuary bay scallop industry, estimated at one time to be worth $2 million and has since been virtually eradicated. Although brown tide does not appear to pose a health threat to humans, the presence of brown tide may reduce recreational fishing, boating and swimming in affected waters.

The return of brown tide at intensities similar to its initial outbreaks in the mid-1980s made obvious the need for a significant coordinated effort to search for the causes of this phenomenon and for effective measures to prevent its recurrence or minimize or mitigate its effect.

The response

Research investigating different aspects of brown tide has been ongoing since these unusual algal blooms first appeared in 1985. A variety of sponsors provided the funding for the early, independent, sporadic studies.

Most recently, however, the Brown Tide Research Initiative (BTRI), a $3 million program dedicated to coordinating efforts in brown tide research, has been launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coastal Ocean Program (COP). The objectives of the BTRI are to understand the factors that lead to bloom initiation, maintain blooms, and cause them to crash.

The first three-year $1.5 million BTRI program (1996-1999) was developed to increase knowledge concerning brown tide by identifying the factors and understanding the processes that stimulate and sustain brown tide blooms. Continued funding for BTRI in 1999-2001, as a $1.5 million three-year effort, came once again from NOAA’s COP.

Prior to the first phase of this initiative, a peer review-based competitive Call for Proposals highlighted the most critical information gaps identified at the 1995 Brown Tide Summit. This process resulted in the selection of eight outstanding and complementary research projects supported by the BTRI. According to BTRI-funded researcher Patricia Glibert, "The strength of this initiative is the multi-faceted approach," combining a focused research effort of biological, chemical and physical oceanographical expertise together with a unique networking opportunity for information and idea exchange among the investigators.