Author
Susan Loscutoff
Bio: Susan Loscutoff is an academic researcher from California Health and Human Services Agency. The author has contributed to research in topics: Marine mammal & Anchovy. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 3 publications receiving 775 citations.
Topics: Marine mammal, Anchovy, Zalophus californianus
Papers
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Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute1, The Marine Mammal Center2, National Ocean Service3, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories4, National Marine Fisheries Service5, California State University, Monterey Bay6, University of California, Santa Cruz7, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology8, California Health and Human Services Agency9, University of California, Davis10, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill11, Colorado State University12, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration13
TL;DR: Findings reveal that monitoring of mussel toxicity alone does not necessarily provide adequate warning of DA entering the food web at levels sufficient to harm marine wildlife and perhaps humans.
Abstract: Over 400 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) died and many others displayed signs of neurological dysfunction along the central California coast during May and June 1998. A bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia australis (diatom) was observed in the Monterey Bay region during the same period. This bloom was associated with production of domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxin1 that was also detected in planktivorous fish, including the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), and in sea lion body fluids. These and other concurrent observations demonstrate the trophic transfer of DA resulting in marine mammal mortality. In contrast to fish, blue mussels (Mytilus edulus) collected during the DA outbreak contained no DA or only trace amounts. Such findings reveal that monitoring of mussel toxicity alone does not necessarily provide adequate warning of DA entering the food web at levels sufficient to harm marine wildlife and perhaps humans.
794 citations
12 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that the amount of sulfite used was unnecessarily and dangerously high, and for one known sulfite-sensitive asthmatic, the use of the term "fresh" was misleading, resulting in near-fatal bronchospasm.
8 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, a global assessment of the effects of inorganic nitrogen pollution in aquatic ecosystems is presented, with detailed multi-scale data, and three major environmental problems: (1) increasing the concentration of hydrogen ions in freshwater ecosystems without much acid-neutralizing capacity, resulting in acidification of those systems; (2) stimulating or enhancing the development, maintenance and proliferation of primary producers, leading to eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems; (3) reaching toxic levels that impair the ability of aquatic animals to survive, grow and reproduce.
1,753 citations
TL;DR: The Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms on Aquatic Organisms: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 113-390 as mentioned in this paper was the first publication of this article.
Abstract: (2002). The Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms on Aquatic Organisms. Reviews in Fisheries Science: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 113-390.
1,242 citations
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution1, North Carolina State University2, San Francisco State University3, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science4, Stony Brook University5, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission6, University of California, Santa Cruz7, Florida Gulf Coast University8, University of Maine9, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration10, University of South Florida11
TL;DR: In some regions of the U.S., the linkages between HABs and eutrophication are clear and well documented, whereas in others, information is limited, thereby highlighting important areas for further research.
567 citations
TL;DR: There is a rapidly advancing monitoring effort resulting from the perception of increased impacts from these HABs, manifested as expanding routine coastal monitoring programs, rapid development and deployment of new detection methods for individual species, toxins, and toxicities, and expansion of coastal modeling activities towards observational forecasts of bloom landfall and eventually bloom prediction.
Abstract: Blooms of autotrophic algae and some heterotrophic protists are increasingly frequent in coastal waters around the world and are collectively grouped as harmful algal blooms (HABs). Blooms of these organisms are attributed to two primary factors: natural processes such as circulation, upwelling relaxation, and river flow; and, anthropogenic loadings leading to eutrophication. Unfortunately, the latter is commonly assumed to be the primary cause of all blooms, which is not the case in many instances. Moreover, although it is generally acknowledged that occurrences of these phenomena are increasing throughout the world's oceans, the reasons for this apparent increase remain debated and include not only eutrophication but increased observation efforts in coastal zones of the world. There is a rapidly advancing monitoring effort resulting from the perception of increased impacts from these HABs, manifested as expanding routine coastal monitoring programs, rapid development and deployment of new detection methods for individual species, toxins, and toxicities, and expansion of coastal modeling activities towards observational forecasts of bloom landfall and eventually bloom prediction. Together, these many efforts will provide resource managers with the tools needed to develop effective strategies for the management and mitigation of HABs and their frequently devastating impacts on the coastal environment.
516 citations
TL;DR: The long-term consequences of climate change and potential environmental degradation are likely to include aspects of disease emergence in marine plants and animals, and the concept of marine sentinel organisms provides one approach to evaluating aquatic ecosystem health.
Abstract: The long-term consequences of climate change and potential environmental degradation are likely to include aspects of disease emergence in marine plants and animals. In turn, these emerging diseases may have epizootic potential, zoonotic implications, and a complex pathogenesis involving other cofactors such as anthropogenic contaminant burden, genetics, and immunologic dysfunction. The concept of marine sentinel organisms provides one approach to evaluating aquatic ecosystem health. Such sentinels are barometers for current or potential negative impacts on individual- and population-level animal health. In turn, using marine sentinels permits better characterization and management of impacts that ultimately affect animal and human health associated with the oceans. Marine mammals are prime sentinel species because many species have long life spans, are long-term coastal residents, feed at a high trophic level, and have unique fat stores that can serve as depots for anthropogenic toxins. Marine mammals may be exposed to environmental stressors such as chemical pollutants, harmful algal biotoxins, and emerging or resurging pathogens. Since many marine mammal species share the coastal environment with humans and consume the same food, they also may serve as effective sentinels for public health problems. Finally, marine mammals are charismatic megafauna that typically stimulate an exaggerated human behavioral response and are thus more likely to be observed.
471 citations