MONTEREY BAY WEEKLY PHYTOPLANKTON SAMPLING – Page 13

Week of April 24, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

* Quick HAB Observations *
– Pseudo-nitzschia: Common
– Alexandrium: Rare
– Dinophysis: Rare
– Margalefidinium: Rare

* Impressions *
The fog was clearing out over the wharf this morning. Water temp jumped up almost 2C this week and the visibility was noticeably deeper. Net tow remains mostly diatoms, but dinoflagellate numbers increased. Phytoplankton biomass decreased this week and Skeletonema remained the most abundant. Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata-size and the counts for P. australis and P. multiseries flip-flopped from last week. Alexandrium cell counts increased slightly.

Dinoflagellates:
P: Protoperidinium
P: LRB

R: Ceratium
R: Dinophysis
R: Alexandrium
R: Gymnodinium
R: Margalefidinium
R: Polykrikos
R: Boreadinium

Diatoms:
C: Skeletonema
C: Pseudo-nitzschia
P: Chaetoceros
P: Thalassiosira
P: Guinardia
P: Dactyliosolen

R: Thalassionema
R: Lauderia
R: Eucampia
R: Coscinodiscus
R: Ditylum
R: Asterionellopsis
R: Asteromphalus
R: Cylindrotheca
R: Fragilariopsis
R: Tropidoneis

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

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 13.5 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Blue, 10B 3/6 (#16)
Water Visibility: 9 ft
Tide: Falling, Low – 10:55, 0.0 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 3-5 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 5.6 ft
– Swell height/direction: 5.6 ft, NW
– Wind wave height/direction: 1.3 ft, W

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny (fog clearing)
Air Temperature: 49.6 F (9.8 C)
Wind: 2 mph, E
Solar radiation: 369 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

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

* Impressions *
The sky was covered in clouds and misting. Blankets of fog covered the water and horizon. Several boats were docked near my site. There was more bird poop at my sampling site than usual. There was a slight breeze. The surface of the water was relatively calm. The water this week was a darker green than last week with a visibility of 4.0m. Chlorophyll slightly decreased from last week. Skeletonema was abundant in the water. Both Chaetoceros and P. nitzschia were common in the water. Meanwhile, Detonula was present. The HAB species that were observed in the water this morning included P. nitzschia and Dinophysis.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Scrippsiella spp.
R: Gyrodinium spp. (pink tipped)
R: Lingulodinium
R: Amylax

Diatoms:
C: Chaetoceros spp.
R: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
C: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Guinardia spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Rhizosolenia spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
A: Skeletonema spp.
R: Tropidoneis spp.
R: Lauderia spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Odontella spp.
R: Leptocylindrus spp.
R: Asterionellopsis spp.
R: Proboscia spp.
P: Detonula spp.
R: Eucampia
R: Entomoneis

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0717 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 11.72°C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color: 10Y 2/2
Visibility: 4.0 m
Tide: Falling, 0.61m, low at 1053 h
Chlorophyll: 11.928mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU

Sky: cloudy/misty/foggy, 100% cloud
Air Temperature: 8.89°C
Wind: NA, 0.89 m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of April 17, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

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

* Impressions *
Sunny, cool, and breezy at the wharf this morning. The net tow was mostly diatoms and there was a dramatic increase in phytoplankton biomass. Skeletonema was by far the most abundant today. And there was also a noticeable increase in Chaetoceros species diversity. Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata-size and the counts for both P. australis and P. multiseries increased (Pmu by an order of magnitude). Alexandrium also popped up in the counts this week.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Ceratium
R: Protoperidinium
R: Dinophysis
R: Alexandrium
R: Gymnodinium
R: Scrippsiella

Diatoms:
A: Skeletonema
C: Chaetoceros
C: Thalassiosira
P: Pseudo-nitzschia
P: Asterionellopsis

R: Thalassionema
R: Odontella
R: Eucampia
R: Coscinodiscus
R: Ditylum
R: Rhizosolenia
R: Pleurosigma
R: Guinardia
R: Paralia
R: Tropidoneis

* Environmental Information *
Time: 9:00 am
Collector: M. Conci

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 11.0 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Green/brown, 10GY 3/4 (#29)
Water Visibility: 3 ft
Tide: Rising, High – 10:50, 4.5 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 4-6 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 7.5 ft
– Swell height/direction: 6.9 ft, NW
– Wind wave height/direction: 3.0 ft, WNW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny
Air Temperature: 49.5 F (9.7 C)
Wind: 6.6 mph, W
Solar radiation: 318 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

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

* Impressions *
Sampling this morning was very pleasant. The sky was clear and sunny. In the distance, there was a very slight blanket of haze/fog lining the horizon but you could still see the mountains. Several boats were docked near my site and there was a paddle boarder this morning. The surface of the water was relatively calm with small bubbles on the surface. The water this week was a lighter green than last week with a visibility of 3.5m. Chlorophyll decreased from last week. Both Chaetoceros, P. nitzschia, and Skeletonema were common in the water. Meanwhile, Thalassiosira, Lauderia, and Asterionellopsis were present. The HAB species that were observed in the water this morning included P. nitzschia, Alexandrium, and Dinophysis.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Gonyaulax spinifera
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Alexandrium spp.
R: Scrippsiella spp.
R: Gyrodinium spp. (grey green)
R: Lingulodinium polyedrum
R: Amylax

Diatoms:
C: Chaetoceros spp.
P: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
C: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Guinardia spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
C: Skeletonema spp.
R: Melosira spp.
R: Tropidoneis spp.
P: Lauderia spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Bacillaria spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Odontella spp.
P: Asterionellopsis spp.
R: Proboscia spp.
R: Detonula spp.
R: Eucampia
R: Aulacodiscus

Others:
R: Ciliates

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0728 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 11.72°C
Water Conditions: Rolling waves
Water Color: 5Y 3/4
Visibility: 3.5 m
Tide: Rising, 0.55 m, high at 1056 h
Chlorophyll: 12.118mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU

Sky: sunny/ clear skies, 0% cloud
Air Temperature: 10.0°C
Wind: SE, 3.80 m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of April 10, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

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

* Impressions *
Another clear and sunny morning at the wharf. Phytoplankton biomass increased slightly from last week (with another decrease in detritus/debris) and the phytoplankton assemblage continues to be mostly diatoms. Only a handful of dinoflagellates were observed and Thalassiosira and Skeletonema were the most abundant. Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata-size and both P. australis and P. multiseries were observed in the probed counts.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Ceratium
R: Protoperidinium
R: Dinophysis

Diatoms:
C: Thalassiosira
C: Skeletonema
C: Chaetoceros
P: Thalassionema
P: Detonula
P: Pseudo-nitzschia
P: Asterionellopsis

R: Odontella
R: Lauderia
R: Coscinodiscus
R: Ditylum
R: Rhizosolenia
R: Pleurosigma
R: Actinoptychus
R: Entomoneis
R: Tropidoneis

Other:
R: Ebria

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

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 10.8 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Blue, 10G 3/6 (#32)
Water Visibility: 3 ft
Tide: Falling, Low – 11:08, -0.4 ft
Surf Report: NW swell, 3-5 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 12.1 ft
– Swell height/direction: 8.2 ft, NW
– Wind wave height/direction: 8.5 ft, NW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny
Air Temperature: 50.0 F (10.0 C)
Wind: 3 mph, E
Solar radiation: 348 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

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

* Impressions *
This morning was sunny but cold and very windy. The birds this morning were keeping me company. There were 5 boats docked near my sampling site. The surface water had lots of waves. In the distance, there were many white caps. In addition, there was fog along the horizon. The water this week was a much darker green than last week with a visibility of 2.0m. Chlorophyll significantly increased from last week. Both Chaetoceros and Asterionellopsis were common. While, P. nitzschia seriata, Lauderia, Thalassiosira, Detonula, and Skeletonema were present in the water. The HAB species that were observed in the water this morning included P. nitzschia and Dinophysis.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Gyrodinium spp. (grey green)
R: Lingulodinium polyedrum

Diatoms:
C: Chaetoceros spp.
P: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
P: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Guinardia spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Rhizosolenia spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
P: Skeletonema spp.
R: Melosira spp.
P: Lauderia spp.
P: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Odontella spp.
R: Leptocylindrus spp.
C: Asterionellopsis spp.
R: Cerataulina spp.
P: Detonula spp.
R: Paralaria spp.
R: Striatella spp.
R: Entomoneis

Others:
R: Dictyocha spp.

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0720 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 12.11°C
Water Conditions: wavy
Water Color: 10Y 2/2
Visibility: 2.0m
Tide: Falling, 0.70 m, low at 1100h
Chlorophyll: 28.339mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU

Sky: sunny/ clear skies, 0% cloud
Air Temperature: 10°C
Wind: SE, 6.26 m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of April 3, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, April 3, 2023

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

* Impressions *
After weeks of dreary Wednesdays, it was finally sunny this morning at the wharf. The pigeon guillemots have arrived, marking the official start of SCW spring. Phytoplankton biomass was similar to last week (with dramatically less detritus/debris). Net tow was mostly diatoms and Thalassiosira was the most abundant. Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata-size.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Ceratium
R: Protoperidinium
R: Alexandrium
R: LRB

Diatoms:
A: Thalassiosira
P: Skeletonema
P: Thalassionema
P: Detonula

R: Pseudo-nitzschia
R: Odontella
R: Lauderia
R: Chaetoceros
R: Coscinodiscus
R: Asterionellopsis
R: Ditylum
R: Rhizosolenia
R: Pleurosigma
R: Fragilariopsis
R: Entomoneis
R: Cylindrotheca

Other:
R: Ebria

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

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 11.3 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Blue, 10BG 2/6 (#14)
Water Visibility: 3 ft
Tide: Rising, High – 10:46, 4.4 ft
Surf Report: NW swell, 0-1 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 6.2 ft
– Swell height/direction: 5.2 ft, NW
– Wind wave height/direction: 3.0 ft, NW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny
Air Temperature: 45.1 F (7.3 C)
Wind: 4 mph, W
Solar radiation: 264 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, April 3, 2023

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

* Impressions *
This morning the dock was sunny and relatively warm with a slight breeze. There were many gnats near the docks. In addition, there were several birds of different species resting/ floating on the surface of the water. In fact, another scientist this morning joined me during sampling and saw an octopus being eaten by a seabird. Meanwhile other sea birds were eating kelp that was attached to the dock. There were small waves on the surface of the water. The water this week was greener than last week with a visibility of 2.5m. Chlorophyll stayed relatively the same as last week. Both Thalassiosira and Skeletonema were common in the water. While Asterionellopsis was present in the water. The HAB species that were present in the water this morning included P. nitzschia, Alexandrium and Dinophysis.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Alexandrium spp.
R: Gyrodinium spp. (grey green)
R: Oxyphysis

Diatoms:
R: Chaetoceros spp.
C: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
R: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
C: Skeletonema spp.
R: Tropidoneis spp.
R: Lauderia spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Odontella spp.
P: Asterionellopsis spp.
R: Detonula spp.
R: Entomoneis

Others:
R: Dictyocha spp.
R: Acantharians

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0743 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 12.22°C
Water Conditions: Rolling waves
Water Color: 10Y 3/4
Visibility: 2.5 m
Tide: Rising, 0.64 m, high at 1051 h
Chlorophyll: 7.100mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU
Sky: sunny/ clear skies, 2% cloud

Air Temperature: 8.33°C
Wind: NA, 1.34 m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of March 27, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

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

* Impressions *
Another rainy and windy morning at the wharf. Water color was less brown (had more green) and the salinity was back up to ~32ppt. Net tow remains mostly detritus/debris, but phytoplankton biomass did increase this week. Assemblage was mostly diatoms and Skeletonema and Chaetoceros were the most abundant. Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata-size, but none were observed in the probed counts.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Ceratium
R: Protoperidinium

Diatoms:
C: Skeletonema
C: Thalassiosira
C: Chaetoceros
C: Paralia
P: Detonula
P: Pseudo-nitzschia
P: Odontella
P: Lauderia
P: Thalassionema

R: Coscinodiscus
R: Actinoptychus
R: Ditylum
R: Pleurosigma

Other:
R: Ebria

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

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 11.2 C
Water Conditions: Large swell
Water Color/Code: Brown, 5GY 3/4 (#28)
Water Visibility: 1 ft
Tide: Falling, Low – 12:53, 0.2 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 5-7 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 14.8 ft
– Swell height/direction: 13.8 ft, WNW
– Wind wave height/direction: 5.9 ft, W

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Rainy and windy
Air Temperature: 50.0 F (10.0 C)
Wind: 15 mph, ENE
Solar radiation: 21 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

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

* Impressions *
This morning there was a slight breeze on the dock and the water was murkier than usual. There were also many seabirds and large pieces of plastic floating on the surface of the water. Large rolling waves and swells formed right under the dock. Nearly half of the sky was covered with clouds; dark clouds covered the mountains in the distance. The water this week was much greener than last week with a visibility of 1.25m. Chlorophyll increased from last week. Both Chaetoceros, P. nitzschia and Coscinodiscus were present in the water. Thalassiosira was common in the water. The HAB species that were present in the water this morning included P. nitzschia.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Noctiluca spp.
R: Gyrodinium spp. (grey green)

Diatoms:
P: Chaetoceros spp.
C: Thalassiosira spp.
P: Coscinodiscus spp.
P: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
R: Skeletonema spp.
R: Tropidoneis spp.
R: Lauderia spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Bacillaria spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Odontella spp.
R: Asteromphalus spp.
R: Asterionellopsis spp.
R: Detonula spp.
R: Entomoneis
R: Actinoptychus

Others:
R: Dictyocha spp.

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0729 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 11.89°C
Water Conditions: murky, active waves
Water Color: 5Y 3/4
Visibility: 1.25m
Tide: Falling, 1.01 m, low at 1254 h
Chlorophyll: 9.732mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU

Sky: sunny/cloudy, 40% cloud
Air Temperature: 8.89°C
Wind: NA, 4.02 m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of March 20, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

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

* Impressions *
Rainy and windy at the wharf this am (tail end of a storm that started rolling through on Tue). Water was brown, visibility was effectively 0ft, and the salinity was ~22ppt (SLR gauge height peaked early am). Not surprisingly, the net tow was pretty much all detritus/debris and there were almost no phytoplankton cells. Thalassiosira and Chaetoceros were the most abundant and the low phyto biomass caused the RAI calls to look skewed (<100 cells observed, 1cell = Present).

Dinoflagellates:
P: Ceratium

Diatoms:
C: Thalassiosira
C: Chaetoceros
C: Paralia
P: Lauderia
P: Thalassionema
P: Coscinodiscus

Other:
P: Ebria

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

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 10.8 C
Water Conditions: Large swell
Water Color/Code: Brown, 5Y 3/4 (#21)
Water Visibility: 0 ft
Tide: Rising, High – 11:42, 5.1 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 6-10 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 11.5 ft
– Swell height/direction: 11.2 ft, WSW
– Wind wave height/direction: 2.0 ft, SW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Rainy and windy
Air Temperature: 46.6 F (8.1 C)
Wind: 16.7 mph, N
Solar radiation: 43 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

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

* Impressions *
There was heavy downpour at the wharf this morning and it was windy. The sky was covered in clouds. The horizon was covered in haze/fog. There were no boats docked at my site. The water this week was bluer than two weeks ago with a visibility of 6.5m. Chlorophyll significantly decreased from two weeks ago. Coscinodiscus was present this morning. The HAB species that were observed in the water this morning included P. nitzschia and Dinophysis.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Noctiluca spp.
R: Amylax

Diatoms:
R: Chaetoceros spp.
R: Thalassiosira spp.
P: Coscinodiscus spp.
R: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Guinardia spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Rhizosolenia spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
R: Melosira spp.
R: Tropidoneis spp.
R: Lauderia spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Bacillaria spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Odontella spp.
R: Asterionellopsis spp.
R: Detonula spp.
R: Eucampia
R: Entomoneis

Others:
R: Dictyocha spp.

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0739 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 11.72°C
Water Conditions: choppy from rainfall
Water Color: 5G 2/6
Visibility: 6.5 m
Tide: Rising, 0.50m, high at 1144 h
Chlorophyll: net: 0.985mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU

Sky: raining, 100% cloud
Air Temperature: 10.0°C
Wind: S, 4.25 m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of March 13, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

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

* Impressions *
Sunny and cool at the wharf this am. A welcome change from all the rain that came through over the weekend. The water was brown again and the net tow was mostly detritus/debris with a slight decrease in phytoplankton biomass. Phytoplankton assemblage was mostly diatoms and diatom diversity continues to be high. Chaetoceros was the most abundant genus. Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata size and I only saw P. multiseries in the probed counts this week (no P. australis). Alexandrium counts decreased.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Alexandrium
R: Dinophysis
R: Prorocentrum
R: Protoperidinium
R: Ceratium
R: Gymnodinium
R: Boreadinium

Diatoms:
A: Chaetoceros
C: Skeletonema
P: Thalassiosira
P: Detonula
P: Pseudo-nitzschia
P: Ditylum
P: Asterionellopsis

R: Lauderia
R: Thalassionema
R: Guinardia
R: Coscinodiscus
R: Pleurosigma
R: Eucampia
R: Odontella
R: Stephanopyxis
R: Asteromphalus
R: Hemiaulus
R: Dactyliosolen
R: Rhizosolenia
R: Tropidoneis

Other:
R: Dictyocha

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

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 11.1 C
Water Conditions: Rippled with swell
Water Color/Code: Brown, 5Y 5/6 (#23)
Water Visibility: 1 ft
Tide: Falling, Low – 12:47, -0.2 ft
Surf Report: NW swell, 3-5 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 9.2 ft
– Swell height/direction: 5.2 ft, W
– Wind wave height/direction: 7.5 ft, WNW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny
Air Temperature: 46.8 F (8.2 C)
Wind: 6 mph, W
Solar radiation: 355 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

No sample this week

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of March 6, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

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

* Impressions *
Rainy and cold this morning at the wharf. There was a dramatic decrease in detritus/debris this week and the net tow was mostly phytoplankton (finally!). Phytoplankton biomass increased and the assemblage remains mostly diatoms and mostly Chaetoceros. Diatom diversity remained high this week. Alexandrium and Dinophysis popped up in the observations. Pseudo-nitzschia were seriata size and are likely either P. australis or P. multiseries. Alexandrium also showed up in the probed counts.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Alexandrium
R: Dinophysis
R: Prorocentrum
R: Protoperidinium
R: Ceratium
R: Gymnodinium

Diatoms:
A: Chaetoceros
C: Thalassiosira
C: Skeletonema
P: Detonula
P: Ditylum

R: Lauderia
R: Thalassionema
R: Guinardia
R: Coscinodiscus
R: Pleurosigma
R: Asterionellopsis
R: Eucampia
R: Odontella
R: Stephanopyxis
R: Asteromphalus
R: Pseudo-nitzschia
R: Lithodesmium
R: Entomoneis

Other:
R: Ebria
R: Dictyocha

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

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 10.0 C
Water Conditions: Rippled
Water Color/Code: Blue/green, 10GY 3/4 (#29)
Water Visibility: 4 ft
Tide: Rising, High – 10:32, 4.8 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 3-4 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 5.9 ft
– Swell height/direction: 4.3 ft, NW
– Wind wave height/direction: 3.6 ft, NW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Rainy
Air Temperature: 43.9 F (6.6 C)
Wind: 11 mph, W Solar radiation: 53 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

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

* Impressions *
This morning the sky was filled with dark gloomy clouds. The surface of the water was calm (almost glassy) with a very slight breeze. Halfway through sampling, it started to downpour and the surface of the water was no longer calm. There were no boats docked nearby. The dock was still wet from the rain last night/earlier this morning. The water this week was slightly bluer than last week with a visibility of 5.75m. Chlorophyll increased from last week. The HAB species that were present in the water this morning included P. nitzschia and Dinophysis.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Prorocentrum spp.
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Protoperidinium spp.

Diatoms:
A: Chaetoceros spp.
P: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
R: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Guinardia spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Rhizosolenia spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
R: Skeletonema spp.
R: Melosira spp.
R: Tropidoneis spp.
R: Lauderia spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Odontella spp.
R: Asterionellopsis spp.
P: Detonula spp.
R: Eucampia
R: Entomoneis
R: Actinoptychus

Others:
R: Dictyocha spp.

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0706 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 10.72°C
Water Conditions: Ripples from downpour
Water Color: 5G 2/6
Visibility: 5.75 m
Tide: Rising, 0.79m, high at 1036 h
Chlorophyll: 13.132mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU

Sky: sunny/ clear skies, 90% cloud
Air Temperature: 8.89°C
Wind: S, 3.58 m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of February 27, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

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

* Impressions *
Another cold and windy morning at the wharf. Net tow remains mostly detritus/debris, but the phytoplankton biomass increased this week. Phytoplankton assemblage was mostly diatoms and diatom diversity was strikingly high (almost double the # of genera seen last week). Chaetoceros and Thalassiosira remain the most abundant. Pseudo-nitzschia in the net tow were seriata size and based on the probed counts they were likely P. multiseries.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Akashiwo
R: Protoperidinium
R: Ceratium
R: Gymnodinium

Diatoms:
C: Chaetoceros
C: Thalassiosira
C: Thalassionema
C: Skeletonema
P: Dactyliosolen
P: Lauderia

R: Guinardia
R: Paralia
R: Coscinodiscus
R: Ditylum
R: Pleurosigma
R: Asterionellopsis
R: Eucampia
R: Odontella
R: Asteromphalus
R: Cylindrotheca
R: Rhizosolenia
R: Pseudo-nitzschia
R: Lithodesmium
R: Actinoptychus
R: Entomoneis
R: Licmophora

Other:
C: Ebria

R: Dictyocha

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

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 9.8 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Green, 5GY 3/4 (#28)
Water Visibility: 2 ft
Tide: Falling, High – 5:39, 4.9 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 5-7 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 14.4 ft
– Swell height/direction: 10.2 ft, WNW
– Wind wave height/direction: 10.2 ft, NW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny and windy
Air Temperature: 42.6 F (5.9 C)
Wind: 15 mph, WSW
Solar radiation: 298 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

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

* Impressions *
The wharf this morning was once again very windy (25 mph winds!). There were no boats docked this morning. The surface waters were choppy and rough making it difficult to take phytoplankton tows. The sky directly above me was mostly clear. In the distance, you could see many white caps on the surface of the water. The water this week was a slightly darker green than last week with the same visibility of 2..5m. Chlorophyll decreased from last week. Diatoms dominated the water column. Chaetoceros and Thalassiosira were common in the water. The HAB species that were present in the water this morning included P. nitzschia and Dinophysis.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Scrippsiella spp.
R: Gyrodinium spp. (grey green)
R: Lingulodinium polyedrum

Diatoms:
C: Chaetoceros spp.
C: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
R: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Guinardia spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
R: Skeletonema spp.
R: Tropidoneis spp.
R: Lauderia spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Licmophora spp.
R: Asteromphalus spp.
R: Asterionellopsis spp.
R: Detonula spp.
R: Paralaria spp.
R: Striatella spp.

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0726 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 10.39°C (note: the Monterey station was up and running again)
Water Conditions: rough waves
Water Color: 10GY 2/4
Visibility: 2.5 m
Tide: Falling at 1.30m, low at 1334h
Chlorophyll: 4.945mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU

Sky: sunny/ clear skies, 2% cloud
Air Temperature: 7.22°C
Wind: NW, 11.18m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%

Week of February 20, 2023

Santa Cruz Wharf

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

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

* Impressions *
We thought last week was windy and cold, but it did not compare to the wind and chill felt by all at the wharf this am. Despite the perceived change in weather conditions, last week was actually pretty similar to this week. Net tow was mostly detritus/debris and phytoplankton biomass remains low. The assemblage was mostly diatoms, but the composition shifted slightly and Chaetoceros and Thalassiosira were the most abundant.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Alexandrium
R: Protoperidinium

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

R: Coscinodiscus
R: Ditylum
R: Pleurosigma
R: Asterionellopsis
R: Odontella
R: Lauderia
R: Asteromphalus
R: Hemiaulus
R: Actinoptychus

* Environmental Information *
Time: 7:50 am
Collector: M. Conci

Water Conditions (SCW)
Water Temperature: 10.0 C
Water Conditions: Calm
Water Color/Code: Blue, 10BG 2/6 (#14)
Water Visibility: 2 ft
Tide: Rising, Low – 5:41, 1.2 ft
Surf Report: WNW swell, 13-18 ft

NDBC buoy 46042
– Significant wave height: 16.1 ft
– Swell height/direction: 13.1 ft, WNW
– Wind wave height/direction: 9.2 ft, NW

Weather Conditions (KudelaHawk)
Sky: Sunny and windy
Air Temperature: 45.9 F (7.7 C)
Wind: 9 mph, SW
Solar radiation: 152 watts/m^2

Monterey Wharf II

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

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

* Impressions *
The wharf this morning was extremely windy (25 mph winds!). The surface waters were rough and there was a strong current making it difficult to take phytoplankton tows. The sky was relatively dark with the sun hiding behind clouds. In the distance, you could see many white caps on the surface of the water. The water this week was a slightly lighter green than last week with the same visibility of 1.5m. Chlorophyll increased from last week. Diatoms dominated the water column. Chaetoceros was abundant in the water. The HAB species that were present in the water this morning included P. nitzschia, Dinophysis and Akashiwo sanguinea.

Dinoflagellates:
R: Akashiwo sanguinea
R: Prorocentrum spp.
R: Dinophysis spp.
R: Ceratium spp.
R: Protoperidinium spp.
R: Noctiluca spp.
R: Oxyphysis

Diatoms:
A: Chaetoceros spp.
R: Thalassiosira spp.
R: Coscinodiscus spp.
R: Pseudo-nitzschia spp.
R: Ditylum spp.
R: Guinardia spp.
R: Pleurosigma spp.
R: Thalassionema spp.
R: Skeletonema spp.
R: Tropidoneis spp.
R: Lauderia spp.
R: Navicula spp.
R: Cylindrotheca spp.
R: Odontella spp.
R: Asterionellopsis spp.
R: Detonula spp.
R: Actinoptuchus

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

* Environmental Information *
TIME: 0729 PT
COLLECTOR: Hannah McGrath

Water Temperature: 12.3°C
Water Conditions: rough waves
Water Color: 10Y 3/4
Visibility: 1.5 m
Tide: Rising, 1.19 m, high at 1138 h
Chlorophyll: 9.120mg/m^3 by in vivo RFU

Sky: sunny/ clear skies, 60% cloud
Air Temperature: 7.78°C
Wind: NW, 11.18m/S

Rare (R): <1% ~~~ Present (P): 1 – 9% ~~~ Common (C): 10 – 49% ~~~ Abundant (A): >= 50%