Plankton Base (FjordPhyto)

Plankton Base is a participatory science program in partnership with cruise expedition industry to remote polar regions of the world.

We evolved out of the FjordPhyto citizen science project where travelers to Antarctica help gather data on the community of phytoplankton species living within the fjords of the west Antarctic Peninsula.

Watch this mini film to learn more: https://youtu.be/ASe7P5oEt0c

INTRODUCTION

Fjords along the west Antarctic Peninsula are known to be hotspots of biodiversity. However, melting glaciers are bringing freshwater into fjords and bays, potentially altering these ecosystems beginning at the level of phytoplankton.

Phytoplankton are microscopic, drifting plants that make up the foundation of the food system, supporting whales, seals, and penguins. They play a critical role in drawing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and contribute to over half of the Earth's oxygen -- more than the trees and plants on land combined!

Help scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD) document the phytoplankton community living within the fjords (FjordPhyto) and expand our current knowledge of fjord ecosystems.

HOW TO GET STARTED

First step is to get the gear you need. Then, with your smart phone or computer you can upload images of phytoplankton to this project! If your images are not from Antarctica, that is OK, you can still participate with any images of phytoplankton from around the world!

Second step is to create an iNat account so you make sure your submissions are credited in SciStarter Dashboard, don’t worry–you won’t have to do this again:

I. After you’ve created an iNaturalist account, come back to the SciStarter Dashboard > Info&Setting https://scistarter.org/dashboard/settings. Scroll down and enter your iNaturalist user name (case sensitive) in the section titled “Affiliation Integration”.

II. You will see your participation recorded in your SciStarter Dashboard within 24 hours. In the future, you can go directly to the iNaturalist app and your contributions will be synced to your SciStarter Dashboard

GEAR YOU NEED

1. Phytoplankton net - 20-micron mesh works well. You can find DIY tutorials online, or purchase a net from SeaGear Corps.
2. Collect water from a source: Lake, pond, ocean, river using a net.
3. Microscope - we love the Celestron Tetraview microscope, but any objective scope will do!
4. Use smart phone or camera to take image through microscope.
5. Upload image to FjordPhyto on iNaturalist!

If you have any trouble please contact us at www.fjordphyto.org

Photo Credits: Project icon (phytoplankton) taken by Martina Mascioni; Project cover (fjord) taken by Sandra Walser less ↑