PELD-ELPA Phytoplankton and water quality parameters in the Patos Lagoon estuary and adjacent marine coast

Study Extent

Phytoplankton and water quality parameters have been continuously sampled since 1993 i.e., the time series comprise over twenty years of environmental and biological data.

Sampling

The following physical water parameters are obtained in situ: temperature (mercury thermometer); salinity (optical refractometer or conductivity meter Yellow Spring, mod. 33 SCT); water transparency (Secchi disk). Surface water is sampled with a bucket and stored in the dark in plastic bottles for the analysis of dissolved inorganic nutrients and chlorophyll-a in the laboratory.

Quality Control

Responsible researchers and the classical methods are the same employed since the beginning of the time series. Thus, methodology influence is minimal. Technical assistance for sampling and nutrient analysis changed during the years, and also of phytoplankton counting (six persons), always under supervision of the responsible researchers.

Method steps

1. For phytoplankton counting, surface water samples are stored in amber glass bottles and fixed with lugol´s solution (2%). Plankton is also concentrated by horizontal tows using a 20 μm mesh size plankton net and stored in glass bottles fixed with fomaldehyde (4%) neutralized with hexamethylentetramine.

1. Bacteria
   rank: kingdom
2. Chromista
   rank: kingdom
3. Plantae
   rank: kingdom
4. Protozoa
   rank: kingdom
5. Bacillariophyta
   rank: phylum
6. Charophyta
   rank: phylum
7. Chlorophyta
   rank: phylum
8. Ciliophora
   rank: phylum
9. Cryptophyta
   rank: phylum
10. Cyanobacteria
    rank: phylum
11. Euglenozoa
    rank: phylum
12. Miozoa
    rank: phylum
13. Ochrophyta
    rank: phylum
14. Bacillariophyceae
    rank: class
15. Chlorophyceae
    rank: class
16. Conjugatophyceae
    rank: class
17. Coscinodiscophyceae
    rank: class
18. Cryptophyceae
    rank: class
19. Cyanophyceae
    rank: class
20. Dictyochophyceae
    rank: class
21. Dinophyceae
    rank: class
22. Euglenophyceae
    rank: class
23. Litostomatea
    rank: class
24. Mediophyceae
    rank: class
25. Pyramimonadophyceae
    rank: class
26. Raphidophyceae
    rank: class
27. Trebouxiophyceae
    rank: class
28. Ulvophyceae
    rank: class
29. Aulacoseirales
    rank: order
30. Bacillariales
    rank: order
31. Chaetocerotales
    rank: order
32. Chaetocerotanae incertae sedis
    rank: order
33. Chattonellales
    rank: order
34. Chroococcales
    rank: order
35. Coscinodiscales
    rank: order
36. Cyclotrichiida
    rank: order
37. Cymatosirales
    rank: order
38. Dictyochales
    rank: order
39. Dinophysales
    rank: order
40. Eupodiscales
    rank: order
41. Eutreptiales
    rank: order
42. Fragilariales
    rank: order
43. Gonyaulacales
    rank: order
44. Gymnodiniales
    rank: order
45. Hemiaulales
    rank: order
46. Lithodesmiales
    rank: order
47. Melosirales
    rank: order
48. Naviculales
    rank: order
49. Noctilucales
    rank: order
50. Nostocales
    rank: order
51. Oscillatoriales
    rank: order
52. Paraliales
    rank: order
53. Peridiniales
    rank: order
54. Prorocentrales
    rank: order
55. Pyramimonadales
    rank: order
56. Rhizosoleniales
    rank: order
57. Surirellales
    rank: order
58. Synechococcales
    rank: order
59. Thalassionematales
    rank: order
60. Thalassiosirales
    rank: order
61. Triceratiales
    rank: order
62. Ulotrichales
    rank: order
63. Aphanizomenonaceae
    rank: family
64. Aphanothecaceae
    rank: family
65. Aulacoseiraceae
    rank: family
66. Bacillariaceae
    rank: family
67. Ceratiaceae
    rank: family
68. Chaetocerotaceae
    rank: family
69. Coscinodiscaceae
    rank: family
70. Cymatosiraceae
    rank: family
71. Dictyochaceae
    rank: family
72. Dinophysaceae
    rank: family
73. Diploneidaceae
    rank: family
74. Entomoneidaceae
    rank: family
75. Eupodiscaceae
    rank: family
76. Eutreptiaceae
    rank: family
77. Fragilariaceae
    rank: family
78. Gloeotilaceae
    rank: family
79. Gonyaulacaceae
    rank: family
80. Gymnodiniaceae
    rank: family
81. Hemiaulaceae
    rank: family
82. Leptocylindraceae
    rank: family
83. Leptolyngbyaceae
    rank: family
84. Lithodesmiaceae
    rank: family
85. Melosiraceae
    rank: family
86. Merismopediaceae
    rank: family
87. Mesodiniidae
    rank: family
88. Microcystaceae
    rank: family
89. Naviculaceae
    rank: family
90. Noctilucaceae
    rank: family
91. Paraliaceae
    rank: family
92. Parodontellaceae
    rank: family
93. Peridiniaceae
    rank: family
94. Pleurosigmataceae
    rank: family
95. Polykrikaceae
    rank: family
96. Prorocentraceae
    rank: family
97. Protoperidiniaceae
    rank: family
98. Pseudanabaenaceae
    rank: family
99. Pterospermataceae
    rank: family
100. Rhizosoleniaceae
     rank: family
101. Skeletonemaceae
     rank: family
102. Stephanopyxidaceae
     rank: family
103. Surirellaceae
     rank: family
104. Thalassionemataceae
     rank: family
105. Thalassiosiraceae
     rank: family
106. Triceratiaceae
     rank: family
107. Akashiwo
     rank: genus
108. Alexandrium
     rank: genus
109. Amphidinium
     rank: genus
110. Aphanocapsa
     rank: genus
111. Asterionellopsis
     rank: genus
112. Aulacoseira
     rank: genus
113. Bacillaria
     rank: genus
114. Bacteriastrum
     rank: genus
115. Binuclearia
     rank: genus
116. Campylosira
     rank: genus
117. Cerataulina
     rank: genus
118. Ceratoneis
     rank: genus
119. Chaetoceros
     rank: genus
120. Coscinodiscus
     rank: genus
121. Dactyliosolen
     rank: genus
122. Detonula
     rank: genus
123. Dictyocha
     rank: genus
124. Dinophysis
     rank: genus
125. Diploneis
     rank: genus
126. Ditylum
     rank: genus
127. Entomoneis
     rank: genus
128. Guinardia
     rank: genus
129. Gyrodinium
     rank: genus
130. Gyrosigma
     rank: genus
131. Hemiaulus
     rank: genus
132. Leptocylindrus
     rank: genus
133. Leptolyngbya
     rank: genus
134. Lithodesmium
     rank: genus
135. Melosira
     rank: genus
136. Mesodinium
     rank: genus
137. Meuniera
     rank: genus
138. Microcystis
     rank: genus
139. Neocalyptrella
     rank: genus
140. Nitzschia
     rank: genus
141. Noctiluca
     rank: genus
142. Odontella
     rank: genus
143. Paralia
     rank: genus
144. Peridinium
     rank: genus
145. Planktolyngbya
     rank: genus
146. Pleurosigma
     rank: genus
147. Polykrikos
     rank: genus
148. Proboscia
     rank: genus
149. Prorocentrum
     rank: genus
150. Protoperidinium
     rank: genus
151. Pseudo-nitzschia
     rank: genus
152. Pseudosolenia
     rank: genus
153. Pterosperma
     rank: genus
154. Raphidiopsis
     rank: genus
155. Scrippsiella
     rank: genus
156. Skeletonema
     rank: genus
157. Stephanopyxis
     rank: genus
158. Sundstroemia
     rank: genus
159. Surirella
     rank: genus
160. Synedra
     rank: genus
161. Thalassionema
     rank: genus
162. Thalassiosira
     rank: genus
163. Torodinium
     rank: genus
164. Trieres
     rank: genus
165. Tripos
     rank: genus
166. Zygoceros
     rank: genus
167. Akashiwo sanguinea
     rank: species
168. Alexandrium fraterculus
     rank: species
169. Asterionellopsis guyunusae
     rank: species
170. Aulacoseira granulata
     rank: species
171. Bacillaria paxillifera
     rank: species
172. Binuclearia lauterbornii
     rank: species
173. Campylosira cymbelliformis
     rank: species
174. Cerataulina bicornis
     rank: species
175. Ceratoneis closterium
     rank: species
176. Chaetoceros subtilis
     rank: species
177. Coscinodiscus wailesii
     rank: species
178. Dactyliosolen fragilissimus
     rank: species
179. Detonula pumila
     rank: species
180. Dictyocha fibula
     rank: species
181. Dinophysis acuminata
     rank: species
182. Dinophysis caudata
     rank: species
183. Ditylum brightwellii
     rank: species
184. Guinardia delicatula
     rank: species
185. Guinardia flaccida
     rank: species
186. Gyrodinium fusus
     rank: species
187. Leptocylindrus danicus
     rank: species
188. Leptocylindrus minimus
     rank: species
189. Melosira moniliformis
     rank: species
190. Meuniera membranacea
     rank: species
191. Neocalyptrella robusta
     rank: species
192. Noctiluca scintillans
     rank: species
193. Paralia sulcata
     rank: species
194. Peridinium quinquecorne
     rank: species
195. Polykrikos schwartzii
     rank: species
196. Prorocentrum compressum
     rank: species
197. Prorocentrum cordatum
     rank: species
198. Prorocentrum micans
     rank: species
199. Prorocentrum scutellum
     rank: species
200. Pseudosolenia calcar-avis
     rank: species
201. Scrippsiella trochoidea
     rank: species
202. Skeletonema costatum
     rank: species
203. Skeletonema tropicum
     rank: species
204. Stephanopyxis turris
     rank: species
205. Thalassionema nitzschioides
     rank: species
206. Trieres mobiliensis
     rank: species
207. Trieres chinensis
     rank: species
208. Tripos furca
     rank: species
209. Tripos muelleri
     rank: species
210. Zygoceros ehrenbergii
     rank: species
211. Chaetoceros (Hyalochaeta)
     rank: subgenus
212. Chaetoceros (Phaoceros)
     rank: subgenus

The Patos Lagoon at the southern Brazilian coastal plain (Rio Grande do Sul state) is the largest (10,360 km2) choked lagoon in the world stretching in a NE SW direction from the city of Porto Alegre (30°30’ S) to Rio Grande (32°12’ S). In the southern estuarine region, approximately 10 % of total area, a single and narrow inlet connects this lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean. The major tributary rivers at the northern and central areas of Patos Lagoon, and the São Gonçalo Channel at the southern area, are significant freshwater sources from an extensive drainage basin. The hydrodynamics of the Patos Lagoon estuary is strongly controlled by the discharge of tributary rivers and the action of predominant meteorological factors like winds, rainfall and evaporation.