Methods

Water, nutrient, sediment, chlorophyll, and plankton samples were taken from various stations around Commencement Bay (please see station information below). Secchi and LiCor measurements were taken at several of the sites as well. Samples were done on Baywatcher I/II with captains Rick Fuller and Tony Miller. Weather conditions were sunny and in the low 60s.

A secchi is a 30 cm round type of disc that has two distinctive colors, usually black and white.  The secchi was used to measure the penetration of the sunlight through the water column.A phytoplankton net of 20 µm mesh was used to collect Phytoplankton at each station. A CTD was used to measure characteristics such as salinity, temperature, and density. The Niskin bottles collected samples from three different depths: the bottom, the surface, and the thermocline for nutrient, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll analysis. Each sample was numberd and stored in coolers for preservation until analysis. The LiCor measures the amount of electomagnetic radiation hitting through the water column.

For more detailed methods, please refer to the General methods page which describes methods used for each site and analysis.