Abu Dhabi: A team of scientists including NYU Abu Dhabi Assistant Professor of Biology Shady Amin has been awarded a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant worth USD 4,999,505.

This grant will fund a five-year study to examine the roles various physical and biological factors play in intensifying and prolonging harmful algal blooms that occur annually off the Florida coast’s Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the processes that lead to bloom termination. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are phenomena that are increasingly observed in coastal waters throughout the world and are caused by the rapid growth of certain species of microscopic phytoplankton (single-celled algae) that are part of the normal composition of aquatic ecosystems. This rapid growth coupled with often toxin production by these algae causes major environmental, economic and health problems in coastal areas and current efforts by scientists and governmental agencies strive to understand the causes and ways to mitigate them.

The research team will accomplish these goals using climate and oceanographic modeling, laboratory experiments on model systems and data collected aboard several research cruises that will take place in the next five years. The multi-disciplinary team includes scientists  from several institutions, including Cynthia Heil (Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida), Joaquin Martinez (Bigelow Marine Laboratory, Maine), Katherine Hubbard (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida), Robert Weisberg (University of South Florida), and Ming Li and Patricia Gilbert (University of Maryland).

Commenting on the grant, Amin said, “For the first time, this is a major effort supported by the US government that involves microbiologists, virologists, chemists, modelers and governmental monitoring agencies to tackle the annual blooms plaguing the US coastline. Being the only scientist on this highly competitive grant from outside the US is also a testament to the wonderful research taking place here at NYUAD. Understanding the factors influencing these blooms in the GoM will have direct application to blooms occurring here in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and perhaps some of our findings and solutions can be applied here in the future.”

Amin brings extensive experience in marine microbiology, phytoplankton ecology and metabolomics (Metabolomics is the large-scale study of small molecules). His research lab focuses on understanding microbial symbioses in aquatic environments with strong emphasis on how microbiomes of eukaryotes [organisms with clearly defined nuclei] influence cell physiology and evolution. His work also examines why and how harmful algal species proliferate in the Arabian Gulf and beyond.

Photo caption: An aerial view of a large harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie, September 2017. Photo credit- NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

-ENDS-

About National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. Our reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as we work to keep the public informed of the changing environment around them.

From daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce, NOAA’s products and services support economic vitality and affect more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product. NOAA’s dedicated scientists use cutting-edge research and high-tech instrumentation to provide citizens, planners, emergency managers and other decision makers with reliable information they need when they need it.

ECOHAB

ECOHAB funds research to understand the causes and impacts of HABs and their toxins, which is fundamental to successful management and mitigation. It was authorized by the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Control Act (HABHRCA) in 1998 and reauthorized in 2004 and 2014.

ECOHAB is a national, competitive research funding program with two broad goals:

  • Develop information and tools, predictive models and forecasts, and prevention strategies; and
  • Learn how toxins are transferred across and up the food chain, including biosynthesis and metabolism of toxins, and assess the impacts of toxins on higher trophic levels.
  • Research results guide management of coastal resources to reduce HAB development, impacts, and future threats and will feed into other HAB programs for development of tools to improve HAB management and response.

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and science campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly-selective liberal arts, engineering and science curriculum with a world center for advanced research and scholarship enabling its students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from 120 nations and speak over 120 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.

Media Contact:
Maha Ayash
Four Communications
NYUAD@fourcommunications.com 
+971 55 178 3906

© Press Release 2019

Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.

The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.