ImplementingImplementing anan AmbientAmbient PhytoplanktonPhytoplankton MonitoringMonitoring ProgramProgram inin PugetPuget SoundSound CentralCentral BasinBasin

Gabriela Hannach Environmental Lab

Kim Stark Marine and Sediment Assessment

King County Department of Natural Resources Seattle, Washington MarineMarine AmbientAmbient ProgramProgram

‹ King County Marine and Sediment Assessment Group

‹ Long-term marine monitoring program - since 1995

‹ Water quality in the Central Puget Sound Basin

‹ Physical, chemical and biological parameters - monthly

‹ Marine monitoring NEW!! 2008 GoalsGoals ofof MarineMarine PhytoplanktonPhytoplankton MonitoringMonitoring

Measure/predictMeasure/predict impactimpact ofof climateclimate oror regionalregional stressorsstressors onon communitycommunity structurestructure

‹ Assess relative abundance of major phytoplankton taxa during the bloom season

‹ Document the timing of seasonal shifts in major taxa

‹ Investigate relationships between physical/chemical parameters and relative abundance

‹ Detect long-term changes in community composition MoreMore GoalsGoals !!

‹ Create an electronic image library of Puget Sound phytoplankton species

‹ Detect occurrence and environmental conditions that lead to blooms of HAB species in Puget Sound

‹ Expand the program and build extensive database SampleSample CollectionCollection

33 LocationsLocations inin thethe CentralCentral BasinBasin

Point Jefferson East Passage Quartermaster Harbor Long-term station Long-term station Shallow protected Open, North Open, South embayment with poor flushing Sample 2 depths Sample 2 depths Sample 1 depth

Telemetered mooring ….. ‹ Biweekly April-September ‹ Niskin bottles (Field(Field photophoto 1)1) ‹ fluorescence profile (Field(Field photophoto 2)2) LaboratoryLaboratory MethodsMethods 1.1. ListList ofof taxataxa Species Genus Larger category

2.2. SemiSemi--quantitativequantitative evaluationevaluation atat genusgenus levellevel -- basedbased onon cellcell ##

Present <25% Subdominant 25-50% Dominant >50% LiveLive SamplesSamples

‹ Used for species identification ‹ Concentration by reverse filtration 1 or 5 µm mesh ~50x PreservedPreserved SamplesSamples

For archiving and semi-quantitative analysis

Settling in Formalin

Nanoplankton Counting Chamber

TypicalTypical SeasonalSeasonal PatternPattern SomeSome Results/ObservationsResults/Observations

‹ NumberNumber ofof speciesspecies ‹ DominantDominant taxataxa ‹ HarmfulHarmful species?species? -CENTRIC DIATOMS-PENNATE CHRYSOPHYTES Actinoptychus senarius Asterionellopsis glacialis Meringosphaera mediterranea Asteromphalus heptactis Cylindrotheca closterium Aulacodiscus kittonii sp. Cerataulina pelagica Nitzschia acicularis EBRIDEAN (Hyalochaete) sp. Pleurosigma sp. Ebria tripartita Chaetoceros (Phaeocerus) sp. Pseudo-nitzschia sp. (la rge ) ListList ofof Chaetoceros affinis Pseudo-nitzschia sp. (sm a ll) Chaetoceros concavicornis Thalassionema nitzschioides PRYMNESIOPHYTES Chaetoceros convolutus Tropidoneis antarctica Phaeocystis sp. Chaetoceros curvisetus unidentified pennate taxataxa inin Chaetoceros danicus Chaetoceros debilis RAPHIDOPHTYE Chaetoceros decipiens Chaetoceros diadema Akashiwo sanguinea LIMSLIMS Chaetoceros didymus Alexandrium catenella Chaetoceros laciniosus Alexandrium sp. SILICOFLAGELLATES Chaetoceros lorenzianus Amylax triacantha Dictyocha fibula Chaetoceros radicans Ceratium fusus Dictyocha speculum Chaetoceros similis Ceratium sp. Chaetoceros socialis Dinophysis acuminata Chaetoceros teres Dinophysis acuta/norvegica OTHER Chaetoceros vanheurckii Dinophysis fortii unidentified nanoflagellates Corethron hystrix Dinophysis rotundata Coscinodiscus centralis Dinophysis sp. Coscinodiscus concinnus Dissodinium pseudolunula Coscinodiscus curvatulus Gonyaulax sp. Coscinodiscus granii Gymnodinium sp. Coscinodiscus marginatus Gyrodinium sp. Coscinodiscus oculus-iridis Gyrodinium spirale Coscinodiscus sp. Heterocapsa triquetra Coscinodiscus wailesii Minuscula bipes Dactyliosolen fragilissimus Nematodinium armatum Detonula pumila Noctiluca scintillans Ditylum brightwellii Oxyphysis oxytoxoides Eucampia zodiacus Polykrikos schwartzii Guinardia delicatula Prorocentrum gracile Guinardia striata Prorocentrum micans Hemiaulus hauckii Protoceratium reticulatum Lauderia annulata Protoperidinium brevipes Leptocylindrus danicus Protoperidinium conicum Leptocylindrus minimus Protoperidinium depressum Melosira moniliformis Protoperidinium excentricum Odontella longicruris Protoperidinium leonis Paralia sulcata Protoperidinium oceanicum Rhizosolenia setigera Protoperidinium sp. Skeletonema costatum Protoperidinium steinii Stephanopyxis nipponica Pyrophacus horologium Stephanopyxis palmeriana Scrippsiella trochoidea Thalassiosira aestivalis diplopsalid Thalassiosira anguste-lineata gymnodinioid dinoflagellate Thalassiosira eccentrica unidentified dinoflagellate (<25 um) Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii unidentified dinoflagellate (>25 um) Thalassiosira pacifica Thalassiosira punctigera Thalassiosira rotula Thalassiosira sp. unidentified centric 20082008--20092009 DominantDominant TaxaTaxa 1.1. ChainChain formingforming diatomsdiatoms Chaetoceros - many spp. Thalassiosira - many spp. Skeletonema Detonula Rhizosolenia Leptocylindrus Dytilum Eucampia Thalassionema Pseudo-nitzschia (HAB) Chaetoceros debilis Chaetoceros dydimus Chaetoceros diadema Chaetoceros laciniosus Chaetoceros radicans Chaetoceros similis Chaetoceros socialis Chaetoceros teres Thalassiosira anguste-lineata Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii Skeletonema costatum Ditylum brightwellii Rhizosolenia setigera Thalassionema nitzschioides Pseudo-nitzschia sp. (domoic acid) 20082008--20092009 DominantDominant TaxaTaxa 2.2. SolitarySolitary diatomsdiatoms Cylindrotheca Coscinodiscus Coscinodiscus wailessii 20082008--20092009 DominantDominant TaxaTaxa 3.3. HeterosigmaHeterosigma akashiwoakashiwo (small ) HAB Heterosigma bloom Quartermaster Harbor August 2009 20082008--20092009 DominantDominant TaxaTaxa 4.4. DinoflagellatesDinoflagellates Protoperidinium spp. Prorocentrum gracile Ceratium fusus Akashiwo sanguinea small unidentified spp. Alexandrium catenella (PSP) Akashiwo sanguinea Protoperidinium spp. Ceratium fusus Alexandrium catenella (PSP) OtherOther TaxaTaxa ofof InterestInterest

oror justjust moremore coolcool picturespictures Noctiluca bloom Noctiluca scintillans Dinophysis acuminata (DSP) Dinoflagellate cyst Gyrodinium sp. Gyrodinium spirale AndAnd whatwhat aboutabout thethe ??Zooplankton?? SomeSome ConclusionsConclusions ‹ Challenges Sampling design: is it representative? Year to year variation “Correct” identification

‹ Use of technology? Flow-Cam for quantitative data

‹ Important effort! No other routine monitoring programs in the Sound

Acknowledgments: All involved staff + taxpayers