Toxic Microalgae in Panama Coastal Waters: 234 Taxa from 2023-2024 Surveys

234 taxa of toxic and potentially harmful microalgae were identified across Pacific and Caribbean coastal waters of Panama. The data was collected by Kathia Broce through monthly surveys from June to October 2024, with exploratory observations from 2023, integrating taxonomic profiling with environmental characterization. This study provides an ecological baseline for harmful algal bloom risk mitigation.

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 distribution of toxin-associated genera
• Developing site-specific early warning monitoring systems based on the reported coexistence of multiple toxin syndromes and recurrent bloom events

Strengths

• Data covers 234 identified taxa across three representative coastal systems
• Includes multi-habitat assessment across contrasting Pacific and Caribbean waters
• Integrates taxonomic data with in situ environmental characterization

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• The primary file format is DOCX, which may require extraction or conversion for analysis

Provenance

Source

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Collection Method

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

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-23 15:03:49; freshness should be verified

Geography

Contrasting Pacific and Caribbean coastal waters of Panama.