The long-term aim is to build an OSD Consortium to continue building a global time-series data set as part of the world’s Ocean Observatories. DNA microarrays are coated

solid surfaces onto which a large number of fluorescently labelled DNA probes can be spotted. Each probe is specific for a species, and when the probe hybridizes with a sample, the sample/probe complex fluoresces in UV light. Microarrays are used for in situ monitoring of multiple harmful algal bloom (HAB) species using DNA probe arrays coupled with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) to simultaneously detect algal toxins. This method is especially useful for the rapid identification of HABs, toxic algae that can have serious health consequences (Bricker et al., 2007). As an example, the European project MIDTAL (Microarrays for the detection of toxic algae) has developed a microarray FG-4592 nmr to target major HAB species including toxic dinoflagellates, raphidophytes, prymnesiophytes, Dichtyocophyceae and the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia (Lewis et al., 2012). Another study (Doucette et al., 2009) introduced the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) which was developed for the autonomous detection of HAB species using DNA probe arrays, as well as their associated toxins. The algal toxin domoic acid (DA)

was extracted and detected in situ from Pseudo-nitzschia cells onboard the ESP within 3 h (Doucette et al., 2009). Although the custom nature of the ESP makes purchasing and maintaining one of these instruments expensive, since no ship or laboratory time is involved in learn more collecting and analyzing samples once the Cediranib (AZD2171) instrument is deployed, per sample cost compared with ship and laboratory time may actually

be less. Standardization/commercialization of reagents and other consumable items is likely to make this system more cost effective than collecting samples by ship and returning them to the lab on a routine basis. Because this instrument relies on DNA probes for detection of HAB species, the potential for new indicators is nearly unlimited. The cELISA-based assay used to detect and quantify algal toxins is similarly adaptable, as all one would need to develop is a set of antibodies for the desired toxin. HABs can have potentially devastating socioeconomic, public health and ecosystem impacts (Bricker et al., 2007). The ability to monitor for and detect these organisms in real time is an extremely high priority. This method consists in the amplification and quantification a gene sequence specific to the organism(s) of interest. The correlation of the amount of DNA obtained with the number of individuals will allow quantification of the organisms of study in a given sample. This is only possible for unicellular organisms that contain a single or a known number of copies of the gene under study.