Algae - any of numerous groups of chlorophyll-containing, mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms ranging from microscopic single-celled forms to multicellular forms 100 feet (30 meters) or longer, distinguished from plants by the absence of true roots, stems, and leaves and by a lack of nonreproductive cells in the reproductive structures: classified into the six phyla : Euglenophyta, Crysophyta, Pyrrophyta, Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta, and Rhodophyta.

Bathymetry - the measurement of the depths of oceans, seas, or other large bodies of water.
the data derived from such measurement, especially as compiled in a topographic map.

Benthic - pertaining to the benthos, the biogeographic region that includes the bottom of a lake, sea, or ocean, and the littoral and supralittoral zones of the shore.

Blue-green algae - not algae, and no longer classified as a plant; cyanobacteria are an ancient form of bacteria found in water bodies

Cryptophyte - single-celled algae with two flagella, used for swimming. These have pigments found in no other group of algae. Pigments are structures that absorb light and give the organisms their distinctive colouring.

Cyanobacteria - also known as blue-green algae, is not algae, but a form of bacteria, some forms of which can produce toxins

Diatom - (pronounced dya-tome) form of algae

Dinoflagellate - any of numerous chiefly marine plankton of the phylum Pyrrophyta (or, in some classification schemes, the order Dinoflagellata), usually having two flagella, one in a groove around the body and the other extending from its center.

Dissolved toxin - includes those toxins produced by cyanobacteria, which upon cell rupture or decay become dissolved in the water body, invisible to the eye, detected only by testing, can occur where bloom is visible or not; includes hepatotoxins (affecting the liver) most common microcystin, and less common nodularin
and neurotoxins (affecting the central nervous system) anatoxin-A, saxitoxin, and others

Eukaryotic - of, relating to, or characteristic of a eukaryote, an organism whose basic structural unit
is a cell containing specialized organelles and a membrane-bound nucleus

Harmful Algal Bloom - a visible mat or biomass in the water that is known to be a toxin producer

Hydrology - the science dealing with the occurrence, circulation, distribution, and properties of the waters of the earth and its atmosphere.

Limnology - the scientific study of bodies of freshwater, as lakes and ponds, with reference to their physical, geographical, biological, and other features.

Lysis - the dissolution or destruction of cells by lysins; cell rupture, decay, cell death

Phytoplankton - Phytoplankton are microscopic marine algae. Phytoplankton is the base of several aquatic food webs. In a balanced ecosystem, they provide food for a wide range of sea creatures. Phytoplankton, also known as microalgae, are similar to terrestrial plants in that they contain chlorophyll and require sunlight in order to live and grow.

Red tide - a brownish-red discoloration of marine waters caused by the presence of enormous numbers of certain microscopic flagellates, especially the dinoflagellates, which often produce a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in the tissues of shellfish, making them poisonous when eaten by humans and other vertebrates.


Residence time - the length of time a substance remains in the adsorbed, suspended, or dissolved state.
the length of time a volume of water remains in a water body or part of a water body; indicates the spectrum from "standing water" to moving or flowing water.

Toxin - any poison produced by an organism, characterized by antigenicity in certain animals and high molecular weight, and including the bacterial toxins that are the causative agents of life-threatening conditions such as tetanus, diphtheria, etc., includes such plant and animal toxins as ricin and snake venom.