Seasonal Phytoplankton Composition and Concentrations in the Lower Chesapeake Bay and Vicinity.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to characterize the phytoplankton and their seasonal patterns of development in the lower Chesapeake Bay, in an adjacent river estuary, and at a station in shelf waters near the Bay entrance. The river estuary is Hampton Roads, through which the James, Elizabeth, Lafayette, and Nansemond Rivers join to enter the lower Chesapeake Bay. Many of the earlier studies stressed the net phytoplankton, where diatoms and dinoflagellates characterized seasonal peaks, which commonly occurred during spring and fall, and to a lesser degree in summer. However, the significance of the nanoplankton component to productivity and total cell concentrations was later emphasized. Further comments on the phytoplankton composition of Chesapeake Bay plume were given by Marshall (1982), who noted seasonal differences were distinct enough to characterize the plume in its early movement on the continental shelf. The phytoplankton composition of the lower Chesapeake Bay consisted of a diverse assemblage of 243 species. The major seasonal growth periods were dominated by a diatomaceous flora and a picoplankton complex composed mainly of cyanophytes and chlorophytes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 31, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA165112
Entities
People
- Harold G. Marshall
Organizations
- Old Dominion University