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2015 Autumn | Natural Science & Restoration

Developing a Method for Plankton Sampling in an Estuary Setting and how Sampling the Basal Marine Food Web is Important for Salmon Conservation

Student(s):

Felicia Felton

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Joleen Palmer

Partner(s):

  • Stillwaters Environmental Center

Faculty advisor(s):

Paul Quay, Oceanography, University of Washington

Over the summer season I developed a simple methodology for collecting and identifying phytoplankton and zooplankton. Via kayak, I would go throughout Carpenter Creek Estuary and collect samples with a plankton tow net. I would then take those samples back to Stillwaters’ lab and do species identification and abundance counts. I reported back the observed trends seen throughout the summer months. I observed a significant species abundance of the dinoflagellate Noctiluca Scintillans in the early summer, and a dominance of the centric diatom Chaetoceros in the latter half of summer. More sampling is needed to determine the overall habitat health.