This dataset includes ichthyoplankton density and plankton displacement volume data collected using SEA-GEAR plankton ring nets during three NSF RAPID Plankton cruises. RAPID Plankton Cruise 1 took place on R/V Point Sur, cruise number PS1813, from October 28-November 3, 2017. RAPID Plankton Cruise 2 took place on R/V Pelican, cruise number PE18-18, from January 6- 12, 2018. RAPID Plankton Cruise 3 took place on R/V Pelican, cruise number PE18-21, from March 19- 23, 2018.

Table of Contents

• Coverage
• Dataset Description
  • Methods & Sampling
  • Data Processing Description
• Data Files
• Related Publications
• Parameters
• Instruments
• Deployments
• Project Information
• Funding

The Ring Plankton Net was deployed using the same procedures reported for the NOAA Bongo Plankton Net in the "NOAA SEAMAP Field Operations Manual for collection of data, Chapter V., National Marine Fisheries Service and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, October 2001, Revision No.4."

Target Fishing Depth as much of the water column as possible stopping 2-4m above the bottom at bottom depths <200m, and upper 200m at bottom depths >200m; ship speed 1.5-2.0 knots; target wire angle of 45°; winch speeds during pay out and retrieving according to Chapter V., Table A. The net was deployed over the side.

Nets were rinsed and processed on board. A subset of larval fish was picked on board and frozen at ultra-low temperatures in liquid nitrogen and kept in an on-board Ultra Low Temperature Freezer, transported using a Dry Shipper to Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and stored in an ULT until further processing. The remainder of the sample was preserved in 200 proof Ethanol (ETOH) according to NOAA SEAMAP Operations Manual upon retrieval of nets. After 24 hours, ETOH was exchanged with fresh ETOH. ETOH Plankton samples were stored in 1000ml plastic jars until processing in the Geist Early Life History Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi during 2017 and 2020. Total Zooplankton Displacement Volume was determined using a calibrated 1000ml measuring cylinder by subtracting the volume of ethanol without sample from the volume of ethanol with sample. The plankton sample was separated from ethanol using a concentrator sieve with a mesh size < than the net mesh size. Then the plankton sample was resuspended in ETOH and larval fish were picked under dissecting microscopes using feather steel tweezers. Every sample was looked through twice for quality check purposes.

Data Processing:
Filtered Volume was calculated according to the manufacturer manual of the flowmeter (General Oceanics):

Filtered Volume = distance towed * net opening area,

with distance towed calculated as:

Flowmeter Count Difference * Flowmeter Constant / 999999.

Total Plankton Displacement Volume and Total Larval Fish Density was standardized per 100m³ filtered water volume and per area as under 10m² water column using the same formula as NOAA SEAMAP Pascagoula Office (POC G. Zapfe).

BCO-DMO Processing:
- concatenated separate files into one dataset;
- converted date format to YYYY-MM-DD;
- removed commas from the FM_CO field;
- added ISO date-time fields;
- added Cruise_ID numbers.

Website: https://cajunplankton.com/nsf-rapid-plankton/

Coverage: Northwestern Gulf of Mexico 95-96°W, 30-27.5°N

NSF Award Abstract:
This project will examine how plankton in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico respond to large floodwater plumes generated by extreme weather events like Hurricane Harvey at time scales relevant to its development and evolution (days to months). The goal is to understand how the timing, magnitude, and constituent loads of a massive pulse of freshwater to the Louisiana-Texas shelf are: (1) driving changes in phytoplankton, zooplankton, and larval fish communities and distributions over monthly, seasonal, and annual time scales and, (2) what the consequences of those changes are to food web interactions within the plankton. The timing of Hurricane Harvey flood water disturbance coincides with the summer-fall spawning seasons for economically important Gulf of Mexico fisheries (e.g. red drum, sea trouts, snappers), raising additional questions of longer term effects of food web disruptions on recruitment. This project will train two undergraduate students and four PhD-level graduate students across three institutions, as well as support three early-career investigators. Pre- and post-floodwater plume data and samples will be shared with the broader scientific community within one year of collection to facilitate their immediate use by scientists beyond the research team. The team will give coordinated public talks at established regional science communication series and through other existing regional outreach partnerships to extend the educational scope of the project. Finally, results from this research will be incorporated in course curriculum and shared through scientific presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Record-breaking rain delivered by Hurricane Harvey to Southeast Texas in late August 2017 has resulted in a massive floodwater plume being delivered to coastal waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). This project will investigate the short- and mid-term effects of that plume on planktonic (from pico- to ichthyoplankton) community composition and trophic interactions in that system. Building on data collected in July 2017 during a GOM Ecosystems and Carbon Cycle (GOMECC-3) cruise, and from historical datasets in the region, plankton assemblages, abundance, and food web interactions will assessed during three research cruises 2, 4, and 8 months after the event. Oceanographic data and samples will be collected and processed using standard and state of the art gear, including ZooScan, FlowCAM, flow cytometry, and next generation sequencing. Onboard micro- and mesozooplankton grazing experiments will be conducted to understand the trophodynamic interactions and relationships between different plankton groups under changing environmental conditions. Diet and growth rate analyses of larval fish will be undertaken and related to phyto- and zooplankton (i.e. prey) abundance and community composition data. Application of the same gear types and methods during the three project cruises will ensure comparability of these new data to existing samples and datasets. These post-Harvey data will be compared to immediately-preceding and long-term data collected in the area by NOAA's Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP), allowing for investigation of the temporal evolution of planktonic assemblages and interpretation of plankton regime shifts in seasonal, multiyear, and decadal contexts.