Abstract
Phytoplankton analysis of Caloosahatchee River and Estuary of southwest Florida
Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America, Vol.51(5)
Geological Society of America, 2019 annual meeting & exposition
09/2019
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to explore the phytoplankton community composition differences along the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary and in the Gulf of Mexico over several dates before, during, and after discharge from Lake Okeechobee. We collected water samples from thirteen sites that include seven in the river/estuary itself and six in the nearshore environment adjacent to the estuary. Salinity, temperature, DO, depth, and chlorophyll-a measurements were also collected at each site. Discrete water samples were collected for analyses of nutrient concentrations. Phytoplankton composition and abundance were measured using Flowcam (10-100mu m) and epifluorescence microscopy was used for picoplankton (<10 mu m). We expect the dominant phytoplankton identified in Flowcam to change in response to changes in salinity and other environmental factors. Positive correlations between chlorophyll-a, total particles, and the dominant phytoplankton are expected in the samples. As a result of this study, we hope to see if there is a link between discharge from Lake Okeechobee and harmful algae blooms in the estuary and gulf. Understanding phytoplankton populations before, during, and after harmful algal blooms will help to improve prediction of the impacts of algal bloom events in the future.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Phytoplankton analysis of Caloosahatchee River and Estuary of southwest Florida
- Creators
- Bailey Bergman - University of IowaBradley D CramerEric Milbrandt
- Resource Type
- Abstract
- Publication Details
- Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America, Vol.51(5)
- Conference
- Geological Society of America, 2019 annual meeting & exposition
- Publisher
- Geological Society of America (GSA)
- ISSN
- 0016-7592
- Alternative title
- Geological Society of America, 2019 annual meeting & exposition
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/2019
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences; Office Of The Provost; International Programs
- Record Identifier
- 9984230121802771
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