Project: Regional Ecology And Coastal Hydrography

From April 2002 through June 2004, the Regional Ecology and Coastal Hydrography (REACH) project conducted monthly field sampling in the western Gulf of Maine. REACH is one of five seed projects associated with the UNH center of excellence for Coastal Ocean Observing and Analysis (COOA).

The objective of REACH is to document and understand the functional inter-relationships among the major elements of the planktonic assemblage in the waters of western Gulf of Maine. The field program characterized the physical dynamics, nutrient availability, and phytoplankton and zooplankton assemblages. A long-term goal of this effort is to work toward a predictive index of harmful algal bloom (HAB) occurrences in near-shore waters of the western Gulf of Maine based on an integrated assessment of the planktonic community. The comprehensive nature of the study also enables this work to serve as a baseline for the western Gulf of Maine, against which future studies can be compared.

An innovative aspect of this project is the integrated analysis of the entire planktonic assemblage at the species level - including both phytoplankton and zooplankton species abundances in the same samples that are used to determine toxic dinoflagellate counts. In addition, we will ensure detailed examination and characterization of the physical oceanographic and meteorological setting from real-time data derived from satellites, remote sensors on buoys, and commercial fishing boats. (from project website)

The REACH transect runs from 10km to 22km offshore of the coast of Maine and New Hampshire, USA. Sampling stations are marked by letters A, B, C, and D.