The spectacular natural beauty of biscayne BAY that drives tourism and attracts nearly three million south florida residents to its shores and waters is threatened by continuing pollution and the…

The spectacular natural beauty of biscayne BAY that drives tourism and attracts nearly three million south florida residents to its shores and waters is threatened by continuing pollution and the increasing likelihood of harmful algal blooms. And recent events indicate that the health of the BAY is rapidly declining. Reversing this trend requires determining the factors that promote phytoplankton blooms and identifying areas where management actions towards improving water quality should be focused. Knowledge gained from proposed phytoplankton monitoring, genetic metabarcoding, and metabolomic characterization to detect algal toxins in coordination with a water quality monitoring program will be synthesized into a publicly-available database that will guide resource managers in the responsible stewardship of biscayne BAY. Biscayne BAY has diverse nutrient inputs and different circulation patterns along the length of the system making certain areas, particularly the northern BAY, MOR