Baseline Characterization of Phytoplankton and Harmful Algal Blooms in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey (Year One) : Final Report, Revised

Abstract

We carried out a two-year survey on the phytoplankton community in Barnegat BayLittle Egg Harbor (BB-LEH) estuary in New Jersey through coordination with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)’s Bureau of Marine Monitoring during 2011-2013. The study aims to characterize species composition and spatial and temporal trends in the BB-LEH phytoplankton community, and to document bloom patterns and dominant species succession as well as Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) species over time. This report presents the major results from year one of the study, including species composition, seasonal changes of dominant/abundant species, and species succession at the study sites, as well as biovolume calculation and carbon biomass estimation based on cell density. Several major HAB species and their occurrences and abundance are documented. We compare present results with those from previous surveys.