NCCOS Project Explorer (NPE)

Southeast Phytoplankton Monitoring Network(2007)

Project Description:
The Southeast Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (SEPMN) was established as an outreach program to unite volunteers and scientists in monitoring marine phytoplankton community and harmful algal blooms. The goals of the program includes the creation of a comprehensive list of marine phytoplankton and potentially harmful algal species, the identification of general trends, such as time and area, where HABs are more likely to occur and increase public awareness of phytoplankton and HABs through education and outreach. HARRNESS, 2005 (Harmful Algal Research and Response: A National Envirnmental Science Strategy 2005-2015 recognizes the critical need for education and outreach of HAB issues. The majority of SEPMN volunteer groups include teachers and students in grades 5 through 12, however, universities, aquariums, parks and recreational facilities, and environmental and citizen groups participate as well. Volunteers are instructed on algae identification and sample on a weekly or biweekly basis, reporting their data to researchers at the Marine Biotoxins Program. Each volunteer group is supplied with a plankton net, thermometer, salt refractometer, and an Olympus MIC-D digital microscope. Groups are instructed on the identification of 26 species. However, if a species is observed in high abundance which is not on this list, species are preserved and sent to the Marine Biotoxins Program for positive identification. Results from volunteer groups enable researchers to identify problem areas to isolate for further study. To date, there are 60 volunteer groups monitoring 72 sites along the southeast Atlantic coast from the northern Outer Banks in North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida. During 2006 the network expanded to Hawaii and St. Thomas, USVI. These two additional sites also monitor benthic dinoflagellates which are associated with ciguatera fish poisoning. During the 2006-2007 school year, the program expanded to sites along the Texas and Alabama coasts. Data generated by volunteer groups are transferred to state resource managers as a early warning of possible HAB events. The resuls are transferred through NCCOS reports, press releases, as well as local, national and international conferences.

Expected Outcome:
The Southeast Phytoplankton Monitoring Network provides educational opportunities and community involvement in the area of coastal stewardship. During 2007/2008, over 135 sample sites will be monitored the Virginian coast to southern Texas resulting in over 600 individual data observations including phytoplankton identification and distribution as well as environmental parameters of salinity and temperature. Efforts are ongoing to expand the phytoplankton monitoring network in Maryland, Alaska, Pacific Northwest and the Panhandle of Florida. The training effort of staff will instruct over 3,000 students the importance of phytoplankton, phytoplankton identification and impacts of HAB and their toxins. In collaboration of NOAA/NCDDC, volunteer monitoring data is currently being used in the development of a web portal which will include an interactive ARC-IMS visual GIS map layout of all volunteer data. Volunteer data has begun to compile a list of potentially harmful species occurring in the southeast, many of which were previously unknown to occur in this area. These species include dinoflagellates which cause the human disease diarrhetic shellfish poisoning and the diatom which cause the human disease amnesic shellfish poisoning. The observations by volunteers is help developing an up-to-date species list and qualitative assessments of phytoplankton species present in the Southeast coast of the United States and is helping broader quantitative research efforts by state and federal laboratories.