The phytoplankton of the Cook Plant monthly minimal surveys during the preoperational years 1972, 1973, and 1974 / by John C. Ayers.

ABSTRACT

The nine-station monthly minimal surveys (exclusive of reference stations)
at Cook Plant in 1974 are reported and compared to similar surveys of 1972 and
1973. In 1974, 256 phytoplanktonic forms were taken in the nine-station grid
and an additional 49 were collected at the reference stations. In 1974, 66
forms attained to an arbitrary "abundant" status, compared to 50 in 1973 and
32 in 1972. The increase in abundant forms is attributed to more forms being
recognized to the species level, not to a progressive increase in the numbers
of phytoplankton.
Inshore stations in front of the plant, where the thermal plume will be
present most or all of the time, had a grand mean number of cells per ml of
1631 over the period 1972 through 1974. Postoperational numbers can be compared to this as a measure of plant effect.
In total numbers of forms collected, inshore and offshore stations have
similar numbers of forms in April and May and again in late fall; fewer forms
are taken in the intervening months. The summer and early fall reduction in
numbers of forms is more pronounced in the offshore stations.

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