Salinity Concentration as a Potential Mitigating Factor for Harmful Algal Blooms in Bartlett Pond

Abstract

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) caused by cyanobacteria are a serious health risk to both humans and nonhuman animals due to the potential release of dangerous neurotoxins. With the risk of an HAB occurring in the small estuarine pond, Barlett Pond, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, mitigation factors and strategies need to be explored. One potential mitigation factor, salinity, was measured during low tide and high tide as well as at two locations around the pond to determine if the salinity level was high enough to inhibit a cyanobacterial HAB. The results of this study did not substantiate a higher salinity concentration due to the flushing of seawater as a mitigation factor for freshwater cyanobacterial growth. However, these findings may influence potential research paths for finding mitigation factors and strategies to inhibit or treat an HAB in Bartlett Pond and other at risk aquatic environments.