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
About Us
History
In 2001 the South Carolina Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (SCPMN) was established by Dr. Steve Morton with NOAA's Marine Biotoxins Program as an outreach tool to unite volunteers and scientists in monitoring marine phytoplankton and harmful algal blooms. SCPMN began with 3 volunteer groups located in Charleston, SC and successfully expanded throughout the coastal regions of the southeast. In October of 2003, a collaboration with SC Sea Grant's Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence - Southeast (COSEE-SE) led to a partnership with educators in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia to form the Southeast Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (SEPMN). In 2006, Florida, the Virgin Islands and Hawaii were added to the network. Alabama, Texas, and Massachusetts followed in 2007, with Virginia and Alaska joining in 2008. The Volunteer Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN) currently has 93 volunteer groups actively sampling 111 sites in eleven states and the Virgin Islands. Volunteer groups include 5th-12th grade classes, colleges and universities, aquariums, state parks, national estuarine research reserves, national marine sanctuaries, museums, non-profit organizations, master naturalists and independent volunteers.
Since 2001, more than 70 blooms have been reported by volunteer groups, 4 of which were toxic blooms. The PMN volunteers provide valuable data on species composition and distribution in coastal waters. These results enable researchers to identify problem areas to isolate for further study.
