Project: Narragansett Bay Long-Term Plankton Time Series

The Narragansett Bay Long-Term Plankton Time Series is one of the world’s longest-running plankton surveys. Beginning in 1957, weekly samples have been collected to assess the phytoplankton community and characterize the physical parameters of Narragansett Bay.

Samples are collected once per week -regardless of tidal stage- for temperature, salinity, turbidity, size-fractionated chlorophyll a and nutrients. Microplankton community composition (size range >10μm, both species identification and abundance) is determined using a light microscope to quantify live samples. The species list for the >10μm size fraction includes 246 different species or species complexes of protists. Samples are also collected for the determination of copepod and ctenophore concentrations.

Funding for the time series has come from the University of Rhode Island since 1999. Ship time is frequently provided by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife.

This Time Series is related to the following projects at BCO-DMO:

• Connecting local, regional and global scales of gene flow in planktonic marine diatoms (https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/511708)
• Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Genetic, functional and phylogenetic diversity determines marine phytoplankton community responses to changing temperature and nutrients (https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/712787)
• LTER: Linking Pelagic Community Structure with Ecosystem Dynamics and Production Regimes on the Changing Northeast US Shelf (https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/747769)
• Quantifying Temperature Dependence In Growth & Grazing Rates of Planktonic Herbivores (https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/739232)
• RII Track-1: Rhode Island Consortium for Coastal Ecology Assessment, Innovation, and Modeling (https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/836631)