Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2020KS322B

Benthic cyanobacterial mats: A potential source of harmful and nuisance compounds to Kansas streams

Institute: Kansas
Year Established: 2020 Start Date: 2020-03-01 End Date: 2021-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $20,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $48,243

Principal Investigators:

Project Summary: Few long-term studies exist aimed at understanding benthic cyanobacterial mat proliferation and toxin production. Physical disturbances and biogeochemical conditions are identified as important, but their interconnected relations with mat production and/or degradation are not well understood. Thus, we develop three goals:1.Search for and study mat formation and toxicity in multiple Kansas streams2.Correlate mat location and toxicity with parameters from in situ high-frequency sensor measurements and discrete sampling3.Develop predictive models for mat occurrence and toxicity