Toxic Waters: The Algal Bloom Affecting Our Shores

Thursday 31 July 2025

5:30–7:00 pm

North Lecture Theatre 1, Humanities Building, Flinders University, Bedford Park

More information

About the speakers

^{Image: Narungga waters on the Yorke Peninsula, 2025. Photo: Andrew Cowen}

Since mid-March 2025, a bloom of Karenia mikimotoi—a microscopic algae known for causing widespread ecological disruption—has contributed to large-scale fish and invertebrate die-offs on the South Australian coast. Triggered by a marine heatwave and prolonged calm sea conditions, the bloom has also raised public health concerns, with reports of respiratory and skin irritation. Despite expectations that winter winds and rainfall would disperse the bloom, it is persisting.

Join us for a panel discussion exploring the science and broader implications of this unfolding environmental crisis, featuring:

Enya Chitty
PhD candidate, Coastal Systems, Flinders University

Faith Coleman
Estuarine ecologist

Ian Gibbins
Emeritus Professor of Anatomy, Flinders University

Dr Georgina Wood
ARC Early Career Research Industry Fellow, Flinders University
Member of Great Southern Reef Research Partnership

Together, the panel will share insights and observations on the oceanographic and climatic factors driving the bloom, its ecological and physiological impacts, the nature of algal toxins, and the vital role of citizen science in monitoring and responding to harmful algal events.

Presented by Flinders University Museum of Art in association with the exhibition Crosscurrents, we encourage attendees to explore the artwork prior to the event.

About the speakers

Enya Chitty is a PhD candidate in Coastal Systems at Flinders University and ATSE (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering) Elevate Scholar. Her research aims to improve seagrass restoration in southern temperate oceans by identifying hydrodynamic thresholds for seagrass recruitment and persistence. Her work combines expertise in coastal geomorphology and nearshore hydrodynamics with predictive geospatial modelling and direct hydrodynamic observations.

Faith Coleman is an estuarine ecologist specialising in microbiological ecology and biochemistry. Her work focuses on estuarine processes, integrated management, and adaptive landscape strategies to protect ecological features. Passionate about climate change adaptation and sustainable resource use, Faith began testing water samples at Waitpinga shortly after the initial algal bloom and has since galvanised citizen science efforts across South Australia’s coastal communities.

Ian Gibbins is Emeritus Professor of Anatomy at Flinders University, where he taught and conducted research for 30 years. Internationally recognised for his studies on the microscopic structure and function of autonomic and visceral sensory nerves, his research has been widely published and cited. Since the emergence of the algal bloom in early 2025, Ian has been investigating associated toxins and their effects.

Georgina Wood is an ARC Early Career Fellow at Flinders University, specialising in temperate kelp ecosystems. She has led restoration projects focused on the genomics of key seaweed species and the conservation of genetic diversity. Georgina co-led the first underwater surveys of the algal bloom’s impact and is a member of the Great Southern Reef Research Partnership, a national network of leading temperate marine scientists.