Updates

PhD Chapter Accepted: Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax Is Expanding Across Northern European Waters

The final chapter of my PhD has been accepted in Harmful Algae. Using long-term monitoring time series from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Germany, we show that Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax has been spreading northward and westward across Northern European coastal and estuarine systems — with an apparent link to elevated nitrate concentrations and high DIN:PO₄ ratios. We also find that the species tends to appear earlier in estuaries than in coastal or open waters, suggesting that nutrient-rich inshore environments may act as early-season hotspots.

Combined with growing evidence of fish toxicity associated with goniodomin-producing strains and the still limited mechanistic understanding of goniodomins, the documented range expansion makes a case for placing A. pseudogonyaulax higher on the monitoring agenda in Northern Europe and beyond.

Read the paper → doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2026.103060

IAEA TC Project INT7022 Workshop at ICHA2025, Punta Arenas

Representatives of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Project INT7022 — Strengthening Ocean Health for Sustainable Development — convened at the 22nd International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA2025) in Punta Arenas, Chile. The session brought together Member State scientists to review progress on nuclear and isotopic approaches for ocean health monitoring.

Project INT7022 is coordinated by the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco and supports Member States in building capacity for marine biotoxin surveillance, HAB monitoring, and early warning systems. The workshop provided an opportunity to present results, identify gaps, and align activities with broader frameworks including SDG 14 and the UN Ocean Decade. More details at icha2025.org.

FAO, IAEA and IOC-UNESCO Collaborate to Advance Global HAB Monitoring

Three major intergovernmental organisations have deepened their cooperation on harmful algal bloom surveillance and marine biotoxin monitoring. The partnership — formalised through joint publications and coordinated research frameworks — aims to strengthen early warning systems and protect food security in coastal nations.

The collaboration builds on the 2023 joint FAO/IOC/IAEA publication on biotoxin monitoring and control, which set out a unified methodology for Member States. The IAEA contributes nuclear and isotopic techniques — including stable isotope tracing and radionuclide monitoring — that complement conventional biological and chemical approaches. Together, the three organisations are working to close monitoring gaps in the Global South, where HAB risk is rising but analytical capacity remains limited.

The IAEA CRP described below and the INT7022 Technical Cooperation Project are among the concrete instruments through which this cooperation is being operationalised at the country level.

Call for Proposals: Assessing the Link between Eutrophication and HABs in Coastal Areas

The IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories have launched a new Coordinated Research Project (CRP) investigating the role of nutrient enrichment in driving Harmful Algal Blooms in coastal zones. The project will develop and apply nuclear and isotopic techniques to help Member States assess eutrophication–HAB linkages.

Harmful Algal Blooms represent a growing threat to coastal ecosystems, fisheries, and human health globally. Evidence increasingly points to anthropogenic eutrophication — driven by agricultural runoff, wastewater discharge, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition — as a key factor promoting bloom initiation and persistence. This CRP addresses the gap in quantitative tools for linking nutrient sources to HAB outcomes, with particular relevance for SDG 14.1 (reducing marine pollution). Nuclear techniques including stable isotope analysis (δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C) and isotope dilution mass spectrometry offer traceable, internationally standardised methods well suited to this challenge.

Proposals are welcomed from research institutions globally. For inquiries, contact kr.moeller@iaea.org.