Santa Cruz Wharf
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
* Quick HAB Observations *
– Pseudo-nitzschia: Present
– Alexandrium: None
– Dinophysis: Present
– Margalefidinium: Present
* Impressions *
Mostly clear this morning at the wharf – pretty decent swell out at Steamers and rolling into Cowells. Net tow was mostly detritus/debris and phytoplankton biomass was low (>2 cells = Present). The assemblage shifted to mostly diatoms this week, led by Chaetoceros. Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata size, but no P. australis or P. multiseries were detected in the probed counts. Alexandrium were seen in the cell counts, but not observed in the net tow.
Dinoflagellates:
P: Prorocentrum
P: Akashiwo
P: Ceratium
P: Dinophysis
P: Margalefidinium
R: Protoperidinium
R: Noctiluca
R: Gymnodinium
R: LRB
Diatoms:
A: Chaetoceros
C: Thalassiosira
P: Pseudo-nitzschia
P: Lithodesmium
P: Paralia
P: Pleurosigma
P: Detonula
P: Skeletonema
R: Coscinodiscus
R: Proboscia
R: Fragilariopsis
R: Ditylum
* Environmental Information *
Time: 8:00 am
Collector: M Conci
Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 13.4 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Green, 5G 2/6 (#31)
Water Visibility: 3 ft
Tide: High – 7:51, 6.6 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 5-7 ft
NDBC buoy 46236
– Significant wave height: 2.4 m
– Swell height/direction: 1.9 m, W
– Wind wave height/direction: 1.4 m, WNW
Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Partly cloudy
Air Temperature: 52.2 F (11.2 C)
Wind: 9 mph, NE
Solar radiation: 87 watts/m^2
Monterey Wharf II
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
* Quick HAB Observations *
– Pseudo-nitzschia: Rare
– Alexandrium: Rare
– Dinophysis: Rare
– Margalefidinium: None
* Impressions *
It was breezy and mostly sunny at the wharf today. The water surface was choppy without whitecaps, and visibility was about 3 m. Similar to a few weeks ago, the plankton tow sample had a lot of sediment and relatively low phytoplankton abundance. Diatoms dominated the phytoplankton community present. Chaetoceros was the only common group (10 – 49%). Thalassiosira, Detonula, Prorocentrum, and Pleurosigma were present (1 – 9%). The HAB species that were observed in the water this morning included Pseudo-nitzschia, Alexandrium, and Dinophysis.
Dinoflagellates:
P: Prorocentrum spp.
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Gonyaulax spinifera
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Alexandrium spp.
R: Pyrophacus spp.
Diatoms:
C: Chaetoceros spp.
P: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
R: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
P: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Rhizosolenia spp.
R: Thalassiothrix spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
R: Skeletonema spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Leptocylindrus spp.
R: Stephanopyxis spp.
R: Proboscia spp.
P: Detonula spp.
Others:
R: Dictyocha spp.
Zooplankton:
P: fecal pellets, nauplii, tintinnids, calanoids, fish larvae, eggs
* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0820 PT
COLLECTOR: Elise Tysdal
Water Temperature: 13.2°C
Water Conditions: choppy
Water Color: 5GY 2/2
Visibility: 3 m
Tide: Falling, 2.06 m, high at 0757h
Sky: sunny with light cloud cover, 20% cloud
Air Temperature: 11.67°C
Wind: offline, 3.13 m/S
Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%