Phytoplankton samples were collected on May 14, 2024 at Bullock Reach and analyzed in the laboratory shortly after collection. It was a beautiful day on Narragansett Bay with partly cloudy conditions and a slight breeze. Sonde data revealed the surface water temperature was 14.67°C, salinity was 21.36 psu, and chlorophyll a was 8.77 ug/L. Secchi disk water clarity was 3.4 m. The qualitative tow net sample had a long filtration time, and the filtrate was dark brown and cloudy.
The analysis of the quantitative whole water sample revealed a total of 8,741,000 cells per Liter. The most predominant phytoplankton genus was Skeletonema spp. at 4,912,000 cells/L. Other representative genera include Thalassiosira spp., Leptocylindrus spp., and Chaetoceros spp. This week’s featured image (200x phase contrast) shows the diversity of the phytoplankton sample, containing many different genera. Phytoplankton are primary producers and contain chlorophyll to capture sunlight to produce energy.
