Summary
A new monitoring tool helps KBNERR and NOAA Kasitsna Bay Lab identify early phytoplankton blooms for oyster farmers.
Photo: KBNERR’s Research Coordinator, Lauren Sutton, tests the inflow cytobot after installation at NOAA Kasitsna Bay Lab by running a phyotplankton sample.
KBNERR’s Research Coordinator, Lauren Sutton, received a seed grant from University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Interface of Change program to study the early spring phytoplankton bloom, focusing on Thalassiosira spp. which is of interest to local oyster farmers in Kachemak Bay. To investigate this bloom, the team, which includes the Research Reserve, NOAA’s Kasitsna Bay Lab (KBL) and the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) is using a combination of community monitoring protocols as well as an Inflow Cytobot (IFCB) that continuously takes pictures of phytoplankton and stores these samples. The KBNERR plans to share findings via brown bag lunches and a public presentation this spring.