Week of January 26, 2026

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

* Quick HAB Observations *
– Pseudo-nitzschia: Present
– Alexandrium: None
– Dinophysis: None
– Margalefidinium: Rare

* Impressions *
It was a beautiful and sunny morning at the wharf.  Net tow looked similar to last week, lots of detritus/debris and phytoplankton biomass was about the same.  Diatoms were still the most abundant group, but there was an increase in dinoflagellate numbers and diversity.  Chaetoceros was the most abundant genus this week.  Pseudo-nitzschia were all seriata size and P. australis counts increased.  No P. multiseries were detected and Alexandrium was seen for the first time this year.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Protoperidinium
R: Noctiluca
R: Margalefidinium
R: Akashiwo
R: Prorocentrum
R: Gyrodinium
R: Boreadinium
R: LRB

Diatoms:
A: Chaetoceros
P: Pseudo-nitzschia
P: Skeletonema

R: Thalassiosira
R: Detonula
R: Eucampia
R: Thalassiothrix
R: Hemiaulus
R: Rhizosolenia
R: Thalassionema
R: Asterionellopsis
R: Guinardia
R: Lauderia
R: Odontella
R: Ditylum
R: Stephanopyxis
R: Actinoptychus

Other:
R: Phaeocystis

* Environmental Information *
Time: 8:30 am
Collector: M Conci

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 14.0 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Green, 5G 2/6 (#31)
Water Visibility: +10 ft
Tide: Falling, High – 5:25, 5.9 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 3-5 ft

NDBC buoy 46236
– Significant wave height: 1.1 m
– Swell height/direction: 0.8 m, W
– Wind wave height/direction: 0.8 m, W

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny
Air Temperature: 54.0 F (12.2 C)
Wind: 3 mph, WNW
Solar radiation: 199 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

* Quick HAB Observations *
– Pseudo-nitzschia: Rare
– Alexandrium: Rare
– Dinophysis: None
– Margalefidinium: Rare

* Impressions *
It was sunny and clear at the wharf this morning with a very light breeze. The water surface was calm and visibility was about 5 m. Diatoms dominated the net tow, but phytoplankton abundance remains relatively low. Detonula, Chaetoceros, and Thalassiosira were common (10 – 49%). Pleurosigma, Thalassionema, and Navicula were present (1 – 9%). There was also a present quantity of some kind of large (>200um) membrane-bound eggs in various stages of division. The HAB species that were observed in the water this morning included Pseudo-nitzschia, Dinophysis, and Cochlodinium.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Cochlodinium spp.
R: Lingulodinium polyedrum

Diatoms:
C: Chaetoceros spp.
C: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
R: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
P: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Rhizosolenia spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
R: Lauderia spp.
P: Navicula spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Leptocylindrus spp.
R: Stephanopyxis spp.
C: Detonula spp.

Zooplankton:
P: fecal pellets, nauplii, tintinnids, calanoids, fish larvae, eggs

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0819 PT
COLLECTOR: Elise Tysdal

Water Temperature: 13.8°C
Water Conditions: calm
Water Color: 5GY 2/2
Visibility: 5 m
Tide: Falling, 0.85 m, low at 1230 h

Sky: sunny, 5% cloud
Air Temperature: 10.56°C
Wind: 0.89m/S