Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have become a regular phenomenon across the Great Lakes, posing threats to both freshwater ecosystems and human health, particularly in Lake Erie’s western basin. It’s a big, complex problem that can’t be solved by a single scientific study or project — collaboration is needed.

In an effort to bring lake researchers together, the collaborative, multi-disciplinary Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health is on a five-year mission to better understand the risks from HABs and effectively inform communities about the issue.

“Rather than everyone working on their own and collecting important data, being able to share it at this scale, with the amount of data that we’re bringing together, is amazing,” said Sara Guiher, an extension specialist for Ohio Sea Grant who helps lead the center’s outreach efforts.

The center is led by a multi-institutional team of biomedical scientists, limnologists and community engagement experts from 11 universities, working together to advance harmful algal bloom research being conducted in Lake Erie. In 2024, the center was funded with $6.5 million from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The University of Toledo and University of Michigan were tasked with leading the center through 2029, building upon a previous five-year project led by Bowling Green State University.

Research at the center focuses on several different harmful algal bloom topics: the impact of episodic weather events on HABs, algal toxin distribution and discovery, aerosolization and transport of toxins, and health effects of aerosolized toxins. Scientists have found that aerosols — small particles suspended in the air, formed by freshwater waves breaking — can contain cyanotoxins from algal blooms and, concerningly, be inhaled by people.

“There are four active research projects that are ongoing, and they’re partnerships between multiple universities,” Guiher explained. “They’re discovering different kinds of toxins, how they grow and move, and different ways that they can impact human health. These are very practical things to know about harmful algal blooms and super important to communities around Lake Erie.”

To reach these Lake Erie communities, the center also focuses on outreach. Ohio Sea Grant leads the center’s Community Engagement Core, bridging gaps between the science and regional stakeholders, such as decision makers, agencies, watershed residents, local businesses, students, and the media.

In her role, Guiher helps give educational presentations about HABs and attends community outreach events to inform people about the issue. In 2025, these efforts reached over 2,000 people around the region. The center is also in direct communication with state agencies, sharing data from its projects.

“People need to be able to inform themselves and to make good decisions, to learn about harmful algal blooms and how they could impact their health,” Guiher said. “We’re making sure this information doesn’t stay within universities, that the public has access to it.”

“This Center accomplishes what every Sea Grant program aspires to achieve,” said Dr. Chris Winslow, director of Ohio Sea Grant and director of the center’s Community Engagement Core. “First, we make sure that numerous researchers, academic institutions, and numerous agencies are collaborating to identify scientific gaps and sharing research findings seamlessly. Second, we are making sure that research findings are supporting management decisions, informing policy, and advising behaviors of people that live, work, and play within the watershed.”

With three years left in its mandate, the center also aims to train scientists and contribute to global efforts to understand and mitigate harmful algal blooms. The team will continue efforts to communicate information about HABs to the public, Guiher said.

Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education, and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources.