NOAA Milford Microalgal Culture Collection Transfer and Test Records

The Milford Microalgal Culture Collection from NOAA's Department of Commerce holds over 200 live cultures representing 13 classes of algae. Cultures are maintained in three different media and undergo routine transfers with bacterial/mold contaminant testing four times a year. Transfer dates and test results are recorded, with the dataset last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze algal culture viability and maintenance schedules based on recorded quarterly transfer dates.
• Study microbial contamination patterns in culture collections based on the bacterial/mold test results.
• Compare culture performance across different growth media types mentioned in the description.
• Model population dynamics for specific algal classes within a curated collection.

Strengths

• Over 200 live algal cultures provide a substantial biological resource.
• Data includes results from routine contaminant tests for each transfer.
• Cultures are categorized into 13 distinct taxonomic classes.
• Maintained in three different growing media, allowing for comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Routine laboratory maintenance and testing of a live culture collection.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not specified in the provided description.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:47:23.942142; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Spatial coverage is not specified in the provided description.