Dataset: phytoplankton taxonomy
Deployment: HG93_CARIACO

CARIACO time series Phytoplankton taxonomy from samples collected during CTD/Niskin casts
Principal Investigator: 
Yrene Astor (Estacion de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, EDIMAR-FLASA)
Frank Muller-Karger (University of South Florida, USF)
Luis Troccoli (Universidad de Oriente, Venezuela, UDO)
Ramon Varela (Estacion de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, EDIMAR-FLASA)
Scientist: 
Rafael Diaz-Ramos (Universidad de Oriente, Venezuela, UDO)
Sonia Subero-Pino (Universidad de Oriente, Venezuela, UDO)
Luis Troccoli (Universidad de Oriente, Venezuela, UDO)
Contact: 
Digna Rueda-Roa (University of South Florida, USF)
Data Manager: 
Eduardo Klein (Universidad Simón Bolívar - Instituto de Tecnología y Ciencias Marinas, USB-INTECMAR)
Digna Rueda-Roa (University of South Florida, USF)
BCO-DMO Data Manager: 
Mathew Biddle (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI BCO-DMO)
Theresa McKee (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI BCO-DMO)
Project: 
Current State: 
Final no updates expected
Version: 
1
Deployment Synonyms:
 CARIACO,  CAR,  93HG
Version Date: 
2019-08-13
Description

The CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program (formerly known as CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean) started on November 1995 (CAR-001) and ended on January 2017 (CAR-232). Monthly cruises were conducted to the CARIACO station (10.50° N, 64.67° W) onboard the R/V Hermano Ginés of the Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales de Venezuela. The program studied the relationship between surface primary production, physical forcing variables like the wind, and the settling flux of particulate carbon in the Cariaco Basin. This depression, located on the continental shelf of Venezuela, shows marked seasonal and interannual variation in hydrographic properties and primary production (carbon fixation rates by photosynthesis of planktonic algae).

One of the monthly measurements taken by the program was water sampling at different depths for phytoplankton taxonomy (occurrence and density). Those water samples were collected with Niskin bottles during the first CTD Cast of the morning at 1, 7, 25, 35, 75, and 100 m depth. Phytoplankton taxonomy and density was determined at each depth at the level of species or genera. Values of zero are real and denote that a specific species was not found at that cruise/depth. 

Web page of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program: http://imars.usf.edu/cariaco

A complete list of publications from the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series project can be found at: http://imars.usf.edu/view/biblio/803738/year

These data were also funded by the following awards:
- 23914: Ley Orgánica de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, LOCTI (Estación de Investigaciones Marinas), Venezuela.
- 2011000353: Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, IAI (IAI-CRN3094).

More information about this dataset deployment