Microplankton, Nanoplankton and Picoplankton Measurements from the U.S. JGOFS Arabian Sea Process Study

The measurements were made on preserved water samples, collected for various depths using the rosette bottle sampler. Microplankton (PI: David Caron) ------------------------------- Microplankton measurements include vertical profiles of abundance, biomass and grazing. These values are available for cruises TTN-043 and TTN-045.

Microplankton were grouped by major taxa: diatoms, dinoflagellates, other phytoplanktonic algae, non-loricate ciliates, tintinnid ciliates, sarcodines, nauplii. Profiles of microplankton abundance are available in cells per liter for each taxon. Microplankton biovolumes were determined from measurements of their linear dimensions (using volume equations for appropriate geometric shapes).

Biovolume estimates were converted to carbon biomass (micrograms carbon per liter) for each taxon. For microplankton grazing, shallow (5-10 m) and deep (35-80 m) water samples were used. The dataset provides profiles of microzooplankton grazing on phytoplankton per day and profiles of net phytoplankton growth rate per day.

Nanoplankton (PI: David Caron) ------------------------------ Profiles of nanoplankton abundance (cells per milliliter) and biovolume (cubic micrometers per liter) are available for phototrophic nanoplankton and heterotrophic nanoplankton on cruises TTN-043 and TTN-045. Picoplankton (PIs: Lisa Campbell and Michael Landry; Robert Olson) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Profiles of picoplankton abundances were measured on cruises TTN-043, TTN-045, TTN-050, and TTN-054 by Lisa Campbell and Michael Landry, and on cruises TTN-049 and TTN-053 by Robert Olson.

Abundance was measured by flow cytometry. The following types of picoplankton were enumerated: synechococcus, prochlorococcus, eukaryotic phytoplankton, and heterotrophic bacteria (cells per milliliter). The data is public domain and can be retrieved on-line at "usjgofs.whoi.edu/jg/dir/jgofs/" [This information was obtained from U.S. JGOFS website at WHOI.]