The time of year that phytoplankton blooms occur and where they occur in a vast ocean can give scientists clues to the relative health of the animals they support in the marine food web, in this case forage fish and seabirds. We sampled phytoplankton concentrations in June of 1997 at 12 stations across lower Cook Inlet (see map for transect details). These stations are listed across the x-axis of the profile shown below, and ocean depth is listed on the y-axis. The darker green color illustrates a discrete concentration of phytoplankton at the mouth of Kachemak Bay. While measuring phytoplankton concentrations, we simultaneously sampled density, salinity, and ocean temperature.  These measures also show differences across the sample transect.

Profile of Phytoplankton Concentrations across Cook Inlet in 1997