Talk Description:  Plankton are tiny drifting organisms that play a big role in ocean health. They include phytoplankton and zooplankton, During the upwelling season in spring and summer, cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the surface, fueling blooms of phytoplankton and supporting a surge in zooplankton, forming the base of the marine food web. Some phytoplankton can cause Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), which impact marine life and water quality. Through NOAA’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN) and NCCOS, Explore citizen science and how collecting water samples, identifying local plankton species under a microscope, and sharing data to help monitor and protect our bay. This hands-on work connects the community to ocean science and supports long-term environmental health. Plankton are tiny drifting organisms that play a big role in ocean health. 

Speaker:  Lorena Dominguez is a current marine biology student at Cal Poly Humboldt, She has been sampling plankton for the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s Plankton Monitoring Network since 2019. Having gotten her start collecting plankton in Monterey Bay, she is now helping the Northcoast Environmental Center establish a sampling site on Wigi (Humboldt Bay). Lorena hosts talks to highlight the importance of observing and documenting our local plankton population through community science, as well as accompanying it with projections of live samples to make the ocean’s microscopic world more accessible and engaging.