Toxic Microalgae in Panama Coastal Waters, 2023-2024 Survey

234 taxa of toxic and potentially harmful microalgae were identified across Pacific and Caribbean waters of Panama. This dataset, authored by Kathia Broce and published in 2026, provides a multi-habitat assessment from monthly surveys between June and October 2024, with exploratory observations from 2023. It integrates taxonomic profiling with environmental measurements to establish an ecological baseline for harmful algal bloom risk.

Use Cases

• Modeling environmental drivers of toxic algal assemblages based on temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen data mentioned in the description
• Identifying risk areas for shellfish poisoning syndromes (DSP, PSP, CP, ASP, YTX) based on the presence of associated genera
• Developing early warning systems for bloom events based on observations of Noctiluca scintillans and Prorocentrum lima
• Supporting policy for Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) with ecological baseline data

Strengths

• Identifies 234 distinct phytoplankton taxa, providing high taxonomic resolution
• Covers contrasting Pacific and Caribbean coastal systems of Panama, offering geographic comparison
• Integrates taxonomic data with in situ environmental characterization for multivariate analysis
• Published under a permissive CC-BY-4.0 license for broad reuse

Limitations

• Dataset is a 668.6 KB DOCX file; the underlying data structure and column definitions are unknown and require inspection after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for statistical modeling
• Temporal coverage is limited to a primary sampling period of five months in 2024, with supplementary data from 2023

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Kathia Broce

Collection Method

Phytoplankton communities were surveyed monthly, integrating taxonomic profiling with in situ environmental characterization.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 23 15:03:49

Geography

Contrasting Pacific and Caribbean coastal waters of Panama.