Observations on the small-scale distribution of estuarine phytoplankton

Analyses of phytoplankton collections from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island and the Damariscotta River, Maine, USA showed that statistically significant differences in population density can usually be demonstrated within any series of collections when the collecting interval is more than 10 cm. Individual species in any series are in general over-dispersed. Phytoplankton patches ranging in size from <1 m to 12 m were tentatively identified. No correlation was found between temperature or salinity and the small-scale distribution of individual species. Possible causes of the inhomogeneities observed in phytoplankton distributions are considered.Contribution No. 17 from the Ira C. Darling Center for Research, Teaching, and Service, University of Maine.