Week of January 12, 2026

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

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

* Impressions *
Another sunny and cool morning at the wharf.  Net tow remains mostly detritus/debris, but phytoplankton biomass increased this week.  Diatoms remain the most abundant with only a couple of dinoflagellate cells observed. Chaetoceros and Thalassiosira were the most abundant this week.  Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata size, but no P. australis or P. multiseries were detected.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Protoperidinium

Diatoms:
C: Chaetoceros
C: Thalassiosira
C: Detonula
P: Skeletonema
P: Thalassionema
P: Paralia

R: Coscinodiscus
R: Pleurosigma
R: Guinardia
R: Lauderia
R: Pseudo-nitzschia
R: Proboscia
R: Lithodesmium
R: Stephanopyxis

* Environmental Information *
Time: 8:45 am
Collector: M Conci

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 13.8 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Green/brown, 5GY 3/4 (#28)
Water Visibility: 3 ft
Tide: Falling, High – 6:41, 5.3 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 4-6 ft

NDBC buoy 46236
– Significant wave height: 1.7 m
– Swell height/direction: 1.4 m, WNW
– Wind wave height/direction: 1.1 m, WNW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny
Air Temperature: 49.3 F (9.6 C)
Wind: 4 mph, W
Solar radiation: 179 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

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

* Impressions *
It was cloudless and sunny with a light breeze at the wharf this morning. The water surface had gentle waves, and there was kelp drift floating near the sampling spot. Visibility was around 3 m today. The plankton tow was full of detritus and there was relatively low phytoplankton density, but diatoms were slightly more common than dinoflagellates. No groups were considered common in the sample (10 – 49%), but Thalassiosira and Pseudo-nitzschia were present (1 – 9%). Pseudo-nitzschia was the only HAB species observed today.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Gonyaulax spinifera
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Scrippsiella spp.
R: Gyrodinium spp.
R: Lingulodinium spp.

Diatoms:
R: Chaetoceros spp.
P: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
P: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Rhizosolenia spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Odontella spp.
R: Leptocylindrus spp.
R: Detonula spp.

Others:
R: Dictyocha spp.

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0850 PT
COLLECTOR: Elise Tysdal

Water Temperature: 13.5°C
Water Conditions: gentle waves
Water Color: 5GY 2/2
Visibility: 3 m
Tide: Falling, 1.40 m, low at 1436 h

Sky: sunny, 0% cloud
Air Temperature: 10.00°C
Wind: 4.02m/S