South Aegean Sea, Straits of the Cretan Arc, Northwestern Levantine Basin, Southeastern Ionian Sea

Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies; Primary production in the water column; Phytoplankton taxonomic abundance in water bodies; Phytoplankton taxonomic biomass in water bodies

Fluorometers; discrete water samplers; optical microscopes; liquid scintillation counters

Water samples (usually 3lt) were collected by a rosette sampler employed on a CTD profiler at standard depths. The dataset is based on samples collected at 30 stations in March, 18 stations in June, 28 stations in September 1994, 14 stations in January 1995. Samples were collected from standard depths (1, 20, 50, 75, 100, 150m). The dataset includes 540 samples of chlorophyll, 96 samples of primary production and 42 samples of phytoplankton species composition and abundance. Chlorophyll-a was measured fluorometrically by the method of Yentch and Menzel (1963) as modified by Holm-Hansen et al. (1965). For phytoplankton analysis samples of 100ml were taken in plastic bottles and fixed with 1ml of Lugol's solution made basic with sodium acetate. After sedimentation, usually a 25ml sample was examined under an inverted microscope. The sampling strategy aimed to study the seasonal, horizontal and vertical, distribution of phytoplankton communities in the Straits of the Cretan Arc, the South Aegean Sea and the adjacent open sea, with the further aim of relating the data with seasonal variation of other biotic and abiotic factors.

Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography
46.7 km Athinon-Souniou Av. P.O.Box 712
Anavyssos

19013
Greece