Climate Change and Harmful Algal Blooms: Potential Impacts on Food Web Resilience

Schnetzer, Associate Professor and Associate Department Head in Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, discussed harmful algal blooms and its impact on food webs. Schentzer explained how harmful algal blooms have been increasing in frequency, magnitude, and geographic extent over the past two decades, creating water contamination and toxins in food webs. Schnetzer concluded by discussing additional consequences of harmful algal blooms, including human health risks, socioeconomic impacts, property values, ecosystem regime shifts, fish kills, and pet deaths.