Seasonal Plankton Abundance and Community Structure in a Newfoundland Aquaculture Bay

This dataset investigates seasonal patterns in plankton abundance and community structure across size fractions from 0.2 µm to 5 mm in a deep aquaculture embayment in northeast Newfoundland, Canada. It uses flow cytometry and FlowCam imaging to analyze relationships between size fractions, water column stratification, and proximity to aquaculture leases. The data provides guidance for monitoring aquaculture ecosystem interactions and assessing interannual variability.

Use Cases

• Analyze the seasonal relationship between plankton size fractions and water column stratification drivers like freshwater input and water temperature.
• Compare mesozooplankton abundance and copepod relative abundance across spatial gradients relative to the aquaculture lease.
• Assess interannual variability in plankton composition and size spectra slopes using data from the months of August to October.
• Model plankton size spectra slopes as an indicator of food chain efficiency within the bay ecosystem.

Strengths

• Data spans multiple plankton size fractions from 0.2 µm to 5 mm, enabling detailed community structure analysis.
• Sampling captures seasonal patterns and spatial gradients within a specific aquaculture embayment.
• Analysis is based on flow cytometry and FlowCam imaging, providing quantitative abundance and composition data.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column count, and sample size are not provided in the input.
• The spatial scope is limited to a single embayment in northeast Newfoundland, Canada.
• The description suggests longer sampling periods would be needed to capture long-term phenological shifts.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Flow cytometry and FlowCam imaging of plankton samples collected in a deep aquaculture embayment.

Time Range

Seasonal sampling; specific years not stated.

Freshness

null

Geography

A deep aquaculture embayment in northeast Newfoundland, Canada.