Toxic Microalgae in Panama Coastal Waters, June–October 2024

Monthly surveys from June to October 2024, with exploratory observations from 2023, provide a multi-habitat assessment of toxic microalgae in Panama's Pacific and Caribbean waters. Author Kathia Broce identified 234 taxa across three coastal systems, linking them to multiple shellfish poisoning syndromes. The dataset integrates taxonomic profiling with in situ environmental characterization to establish an ecological baseline.

Use Cases

• Modeling environmental drivers of harmful algal blooms based on temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen data mentioned in the description
• Identifying toxin-associated genera for risk assessment of diarrhetic, paralytic, ciguatera, amnesic, and yessotoxin shellfish poisoning syndromes
• Developing site-specific monitoring strategies for recurrent bloom events of species like Noctiluca scintillans and Prorocentrum lima
• Supporting ecological baseline studies aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water)

Strengths

• Covers 234 identified taxa across three representative coastal systems in Panama
• Includes multi-habitat monthly surveys from a defined time range (June to October 2024)
• Integrates taxonomic data with in situ environmental characterization for ecological analysis
• Explicitly links genera to five distinct toxin-associated shellfish poisoning syndromes

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• The dataset is small (666.5 KB), suggesting limited scope or aggregated summary data

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Kathia Broce

Collection Method

Phytoplankton communities were surveyed monthly, complemented by exploratory HAB observations, integrating taxonomic profiling with in situ environmental characterization.

Time Range

Primary surveys from June to October 2024, with exploratory observations from 2023.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-23 15:03:48; freshness should be verified

Geography

Contrasting Pacific and Caribbean coastal waters of Panama.