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June 5, 2003
Mahogany Tide continues on the Lower Patuxent River and tributaries at the end of May. |
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On 5/29/2003, a water sample collected by Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Monitoring Program at the Jack Bay Station (LE1.1), located on the main channel of the Lower Patuxent River, showed a major Mahogany Tide bloom of Prorocentrum minimum (243,800 cells/ml) still in progress (Figure 1). These concentrations intensified from the first reports on 5/15/03 and 5/16/03 (see HAB News from May 21, 2003: "Mahogany Tide blooms in the lower Patuxent River and its tributaries."). The algal bloom has also been persistent in St. Thomas Creek, a tributary of the Lower Patuxent River (see HAB News from June 5, 2003: "Mahogany Tide in St. Thomas Creek (St. Mary’s County) still strong at the end of May.").  Figure
1. Bottle "S" on the left contains a sample of the Prorocentrum
minimum bloom from the surface water of the Patuxent River, main
channel of the river at Jack's Bay (243,000 cells/ml). The "AP", "BP"
and "B" water samples are from deeper waters at the site (above pycnocline,
below pycnocline and bottom water respectively). AP for example was collected
3 meters below the surface. Additional data showed the algal bloom was
concentrated in the first 0.5 meter of the water column. (Photo courtesy
of Laura Fabian, Maryland DNR).
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