A National Ocean Service/National Center for Coastal Ocean Science Program
Phytoplankton Monitoring Network
Promoting a better understanding of harmful algal blooms by way of volunteer monitoring
Frequently Asked Questions
Volunteering
- What are the benefits of becoming a PMN volunteer?
- What happens when I volunteer with PMN?
- How much time is required to become an active PMN volunteer?
- Once the training session(s) is completed, are volunteers left to their own devices?
- How does a volunteer get the most out of volunteering for PMN?
What are the benefits of becoming a PMN volunteer?
PMN volunteers are an asset to the community through the knowledge gained and shared. Volunteers are the primary investigators for the local waters and community public health. The program works well as a community group initiative or can be incorporated into the classroom. Benefits include scientific sampling equipment given to participants to fulfill volunteer responsibilities. In addition to educational and community awareness benefits, volunteers are involved with research and have opportunities to tour NOAA labs and research vessels.
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What happens when I volunteer with PMN?
Volunteers are given an instructional training course by one or more staff members, depending on group size and staff availability. The staff member(s) give a presentation that explains the program, introduces phytoplankton and explains their ecological importance. Volunteers view a plankton sample in order to develop identification skills. The training may be completed in one or two sessions.
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How much time is required to become an active PMN volunteer?
Initial training takes the most time and varies by volunteer/volunteer group. Once training is complete, each sample collection takes approximately 5-10 minutes followed by sample identification that takes approximately 30 minutes to an hour to identify. As volunteers become more comfortable with identification, the time needed to properly identify the sample will decrease. Additional time factors include travel time to the sampling site and the number of sites monitored.
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Once the training session(s) is completed, are volunteers left to their own devices?
Volunteers are never left on their own. Volunteers make weekly/biweekly plankton tows and identify the samples independently after the initial training(s). PMN staff is always available to aid volunteers in any way possible.
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How does a volunteer get the most out of volunteering for PMN?
A great initial step is to have a consistent sampling schedule. Perhaps have the same student, team leader or teacher/project leader get the sample from the same sampling location every week. Pick the same weekly time to identify the sample. This will aid in reporting consistent data.
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