CHAPTER 9, PART 2 



Table 9.2-1 — Ceratium tripos presence in July-August 1976 in areas off New Jersey — continued 



C. Barnegat-Atlantic Cily area 



Date July 15 21 30 August 16 .... 



Distance from shore 



(km) 18 28 37 9 13 20 22 37 



Depth (m): 



S • ♦ • * +A 



+ +A 



10_12 * ♦ * +F(P) +A ++A * + + 



++F ++A 



13 +A 



+ +F 



15-17 +A +A * +F * * * * 



++F ++F ++A 



19-20 +A +F , . . * 



++F ++A 

 + + +F 

 22 +F + + F + A 



++A ++F 



+ + +F 

 * * 



Symbols: *, depth not sampled; 0. not observed; +. C. (npoi fragments; ++, mtact but nonmotile cells; + + + , motile cells; A, abundant; F, 

 few; (P). preserved samples; **, deepest samples were 6 m above bottom. Unless otherwise noted the deepest samples were at the bottom. 



area between Sandy Hook and Asbury Park, N.J.. is the 

 northern sector (ch. 9, pt. 1. fig. 9.1-1). The next sector 

 south lies primarily oft Manasquan. N. J. The southern- 

 most sector sampled is that off Barnegat to Atlantic City. 

 N.J. Observations were organized chronologically. Be- 

 cause the laboratory first encountered the oxygen deple- 

 tion off Manasquan, the earliest sampling was in this area. 

 Later, sampling was expanded both north and south as 

 the extent of the problem became evident. Table 9.2-1 

 provides a synopsis of the C. tripos observations in these 

 notes. 



Sandy Hook — Asbury Park 



C. tripos and, especially, Prorocentrum redfieldi were 

 abundant at the surface, 3.7 km off Monmouth Beach on 

 July 22. The rest of the water column was not sampled. 

 C. tripos was sparsely present, surface to bottom, at a 

 location 13 km east of Sandy Hook on July 30. The phy- 

 toflagellate, Olisthodiscus lutens. was dominant at the sur- 

 face. Floe was abundant only at the bottom. Much of the 

 bottom floe appeared unstructured, but diatoms, including 

 Skeletonema costatum. Leptocylindnis danicus and Cos- 

 cinodiscus spp., were a major component. Visually, bac- 

 teria were relatively minimal in numbers. 



Farther offshore, about 20 km off Sandy Hook on July 

 30, C. tripos was sparse at the surface, abundant at mid- 

 depth (11 m), and not present at the bottom. The largest 

 amount of floe was present at the bottom; it was predom- 



inantly dark brown to black. Again, diatoms were a major 

 recognizable floe component and bacteria appeared sparse. 

 At two locations on August 4, 16 km off Monmouth 

 Beach and 20 km off Asbury Park, C. tripos was absent 

 at the surface, but abundant at 11 to 12 m along with other 

 flagellates, especially Dinophysis spp. and various diatoms 

 and small nonmotile chlorophytes. Except for C. tripos, 

 the same phytoplankton, although in lesser abundance, 

 was present at 17 to 18 m; C tripos was present at this 

 depth only at the location farthest offshore. Near and at 

 the bottom (30-44m), C. tripos was absent but O. Inteus. 

 many of the cells live, was numerous along with small 

 nonmotile chlorophytes. Several species of diatoms, chiefly 

 S. costatum, were present. Just a few bacteria were seen. 



Mansaquan 



The initial phytoplankton samples collected off New 

 Jersey during the anoxia event were obtained on July 4 

 by a diver, at the bottom, 11 km off Manasquan. These 

 contained a yellowish floe that, microscopically, appeared 

 to be a phytoplankton aggregate. The dominant species, 

 by biomass at least, was C tripos. C. fusus was also present 

 as well as the diatoms, S. costatum, Coscinodiscus spp., 

 Nitzschia seriata. Thalassiosira nordenskioldii, L. danicus, 

 and others. Most of the Ceratium spp. cells were disrupted 

 to various degrees and empty of cytoplasm, although a 

 few live individuals were observed. Numerous bacteria, 

 some motile, were seen in the mass. 



221 



