Phytoplankton samples were collected on April 15, 2026 at Bullock Reach and analyzed in the laboratory shortly after collection.
It was sunny with light wind on this day. The water temperature was 12.66 °C, the salinity was 19.05 PSU, and the chlorophyll a was 15.54 ug/L.
The qualitative tow net sample had a moderate filtration time. The filtrate was cloudy and reddish brown.
The analysis of the quantitative whole water sample revealed a total of 37,240,000 cells/L. The microflagellates were found at 320,000 cells/L. The most predominant phytoplankton genera were Skeletonema spp. at 33,763,000 cells/L, Chaetoceros spp. at 1,653,000 cells/L, and Leptocylindrus spp. at 765,000 cells/L.
200x phase contrast image of Thalassiosira spp.
Thalassiosira is a large genus of mostly marine diatoms which are known for their bloom formations. They are responsible for significant algal blooms worldwide in temperate, boreal, and polar regions, particularly in layers underlying sea ice and in upwelling areas.