Time series dataset from the Plankton Monitoring Programme at Station L4

Station L4 is located in the English Channel, 10 nautical miles south-west of Plymouth, UK. ( 50.25N, 04.22W).

Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in the water column; Zooplankton egg hatch proportion; Particulate total and organic nitrogen concentrations in the water column; Zooplankton taxonomy-related biomass expressed as carbon per unit volume of the water column; Salinity of the water column; Temperature of the water column; Raw fluorometer output; Electrical conductivity of the water column; Phytoplankton taxonomic abundance in water bodies; Zooplankton taxonomy-related abundance per unit volume of the water column; Particulate total and organic carbon concentrations in the water column; Phytoplankton taxonomic biomass in water bodies

CTD; discrete water samplers; plankton nets; fluorometers

The data set comprises measurement of physical and biological oceanographic parameters initially collected as part of the Plankton Monitoring Programme at Station L4 from 1988 onwards. Station L4 located in the English Channel, 10 nautical miles south-west of Plymouth, is one of a series of hydrographic stations in the Western English Channel which have been the basis of a series of hydrographic surveys carried out during the 20th Century by scientists at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth. In May 2002 sampling expanded to include Station E1, approximately 25 nautical miles south-west of Plymouth. Plankton Monitoring began through the work of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) Zooplankton Group. A long term time-series of weekly observations has been established by exploiting the activities of the PML small boats (Sepia, Squilla and Plymouth Quest) in a opportunistic way as by-product of their other sampling activities, for example the collection live plankton, sea-water, trawling for fish and squid. Initially no formal research programme or long term funding for the Plankton Monitoring existed but the series was included in NERC Oceans 2025 funding as a Sustained Observatory and continues to be funded under NERC National Capability. The programme has evolved to be known as the Western Channel Observatory (WCO). Although every attempt has been made to standardise methodology and achieve data consistency it is important to recognize that the varied personnel and research objectives that have contributed to this dataset may impact on the nature of the data set.

Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Prospect Place
The Hoe
Plymouth
England
PL1 3DH
United Kingdom