A Florida Fish and Wildlife scientist takes red tide samples. (FWC)

A Florida Fish and Wildlife scientist takes red tide samples. (FWC)

Background

The Harmful Algal BloomS Observing System (HABSOS) began as a pilot project in 2001 to focus on recent Karenia brevis blooms in the Gulf of Mexico. This project identified a need for a harmful algal bloom observing network.  Many individuals from Gulf of Mexico state agencies and universities, US Environmental Protection Agency, and NOAA National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC) participated in this project.  This product developed a strong partnership between Gulf of Mexico partners and NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly NCDDC). 

HABSOS evolved into a database of HAB observations and associated environmental observations submitted by the partners who collect these data. These data are updated annually and made publicly available in the NCEI archive and via the interactive map viewer.  NCEI’s HABSOS provides a research quality HAB dataset and HAB observations in near-real time.

Access Data

HABSOS map viewer for the Gulf of Mexico

Interactive ArcGIS Map - search, view and download data

Download Data

Dataset Resources

How To Cite These Data: Refer to "Dataset Citation" of the Metadata Record

Contact: ncei.info@noaa.gov

Our Partners

Alabama Department of Environmental Management logo

Alabama Department of Environmental Management

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Alabama Department of Public Health logo

Alabama Department of Public Health

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EPA logo

Environmental Protection Agency

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FWC logo

FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

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Integrated Ocean Observing System logo

Integrated Ocean Observing System

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Mississippi Department of Marine Resources logo

Mississippi Department of Marine Resources

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Texas Parks and Wildlife Department logo

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

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University of South Florida logo

University of South Florida

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U.S. Geological Survey logo

U.S. Geological Survey

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