Data

Kelly and Joanna began collecting phytoplankton samples in the southern Santa Cruz harbor in December 2008. They used a donated phytoplankton net and equipment belonging to their teacher. Their plankton samples were collected with a vertical net tow, and brought back to their classroom for identification and counting. Their 14-month data set is comprised of counts of over 50 phytoplankton genera, including common bloom-formers Pseudo-nitzschia, Ceratium, Chaetoceros and Prorocentrum. In September 2009 the students added a second sampling location in the northern part of the harbor.

The students also compared the phytoplankton communities from the harbor to those at the Santa Cruz Wharf and Monterey Municipal Wharf, hoping to determine whether similar factors affected the genera populations at each site. They compared the relative abundances at each site of 4 principal phytoplankton genera (Chaetoceros, Pseudo-nitzschia, Ceratium and Prorocentrum). Their results were very interesting - at all 4 sites, phytoplankton populations showed similar fluctuations. This suggests that phytoplankton communities in Monterey Bay are influenced more by broad factors than local ones. To read more about their project and see the results, click here.

Recognition

Kelly and Joanna entered several science fairs and won numerous awards with this research project. In 2009, they participated in the Santa Cruz County Science Fair, and were awarded 1st place in Microbiology. They also attended the State Science Fair and presented at the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Symposium. In 2010, they again took 1st place in Microbiology at the Santa Cruz County Science Fair and received the US Air Force Achievement Award and also an award from the National Association of Biology Teachers, competed in the International Science Fair in Environmental Management, and presented at the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Symposium.

Putting it all together

The graphs below show relative abundances of Pseudo-nitzschia as compared between the Santa Cruz Wharf (SCW), Santa Cruz Harbor South (SCHs), and the Monterey Wharf (MWII).

To see comparisons of the relative abundances of Ceratium, Prorocentrum and Chaetoceros at each location, click on the links below.

• Santa Cruz Wharf vs. Santa Cruz Harbor

• Monterey Wharf vs. Santa Cruz Harbor
• Santa Cruz Wharf vs. Monterey Wharf