✅ Assignment Checklist – Plymouth Chlorophyll Question

✅ Assignment Checklist – Plymouth Chlorophyll Question

Data & Figures

• Plot depth profiles for chlorophyll (fluorescence) at nearshore + offshore stations.

• Include physical parameters (temp, salinity, density) alongside chlorophyll.

• Include at least one chemical/optical parameter (e.g., CDOM, PAR).

• Show a map of station locations.

• Ensure all figures have units, axis titles, legends, readable fonts.

• Each figure has a standalone legend (explain what/where/when).

Data Analysis

• Identify where chlorophyll peaks in water column.

• Compare nearshore vs offshore patterns.

• Check for correlations (e.g., chlorophyll vs PAR, salinity, density stratification).

• Consider statistical support (e.g., correlations, ANOVA, PCA if appropriate).

Processes to Discuss

• Light availability (PAR, mixing depth, photic zone).

• Nutrients (linked indirectly via salinity/river input, CDOM).

• Density stratification & mixing (temp/salinity gradients).

• Tides (mixing vs stability).

• Wind-stress (surface mixing, resuspension).

Seasonal & Temporal Variability

• Compare your single-day data with seasonal expectations (WCO/multiyear data).

• Note how phytoplankton blooms vary across the year (spring bloom, summer stratification, autumn mixing).

Ecological Implications

• State how chlorophyll distribution → affects zooplankton grazing.

• Highlight higher trophic links (fish larvae, food web).

• Note phytoplankton adaptations (light-harvesting pigments, buoyancy regulation).

Writing & Structure

• Introduction: context (Plymouth, phytoplankton, processes, aims).

• Results: clear presentation of your figures, no interpretation yet.

• Discussion: link results to processes (physical, chemical, biological).

• Conclusion: synthesis + ecological importance.

• References: peer-reviewed, up-to-date, Harvard style.