Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida: New Sampling Strategies for Water and Aerosols with Uncrewed Aircraft
Presentation Type
Short presentation 10-15 minutes
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Daytona Beach
Status
Student
Faculty/Staff Department
College of Aviation
Student Year and Major
PhD student, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Presentation Description/Abstract
Harmful algal blooms (HABs), such as those that can be produced by Microcystis aeruginosa and Karenia brevis, pose significant environmental and socioeconomic threats to many parts of South Florida. These blooms can lead to the widespread mortality of aquatic life, large swaths of biomass, and the emergence of public health hazards. One challenge that has stymied the progress of understanding HAB dynamics is the event-driven nature of data collection, given that blooms often appear and mobilize within days. As a result, sample collection techniques often miss the initiation of the bloom and cannot sufficiently track a bloom’s movement and growth along a body of water. Compared to traditional collection techniques from crewed boats or fixed water sampling stations, uncrewed aircraft (UA) systems can enhance bloom sampling with automation, precision flight, and machine-level consistency in sampling. This presentation describes the first-year progress of an interdisciplinary, multi-year project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a UA-hosted water and aerosol sampling technique for HABs. We describe the most recent testing of the sampling techniques conducted in August 2026 at Palmo Boat Ramp in St. Augustine, FL, and the initial testing results of toxin and chlorophyll-a levels. Ultimately, this project aims to create a repeatable sampling method that can be used by environmental scientists to increase the spatiotemporal resolution of HABs to improve prediction and mitigation efforts.
Keywords
harmful algal bloom, Florida, uncrewed aircraft, aerosol, water quality, toxin, Microcystis aeruginosa, microcystin
Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida: New Sampling Strategies for Water and Aerosols with Uncrewed Aircraft
Harmful algal blooms (HABs), such as those that can be produced by Microcystis aeruginosa and Karenia brevis, pose significant environmental and socioeconomic threats to many parts of South Florida. These blooms can lead to the widespread mortality of aquatic life, large swaths of biomass, and the emergence of public health hazards. One challenge that has stymied the progress of understanding HAB dynamics is the event-driven nature of data collection, given that blooms often appear and mobilize within days. As a result, sample collection techniques often miss the initiation of the bloom and cannot sufficiently track a bloom’s movement and growth along a body of water. Compared to traditional collection techniques from crewed boats or fixed water sampling stations, uncrewed aircraft (UA) systems can enhance bloom sampling with automation, precision flight, and machine-level consistency in sampling. This presentation describes the first-year progress of an interdisciplinary, multi-year project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a UA-hosted water and aerosol sampling technique for HABs. We describe the most recent testing of the sampling techniques conducted in August 2026 at Palmo Boat Ramp in St. Augustine, FL, and the initial testing results of toxin and chlorophyll-a levels. Ultimately, this project aims to create a repeatable sampling method that can be used by environmental scientists to increase the spatiotemporal resolution of HABs to improve prediction and mitigation efforts.