Phytoplankton species abundance in Tokyo Bay (Japan) from 1998 to 2019

Tokyo Bay is a semienclosed coastal system located in the center of Japan. Eutrophication has progressed since 1950, resulting in red tides and blue tides appearing frequently. This Data Paper reports the abundance of phytoplankton species sampled monthly from April 1998 to March 2019 at 17 stations in Tokyo Bay. Monitoring has been carried out by Chiba Prefectural Government. Phytoplankters were enumerated by microscopy as numbers of cells or colonies. The abundance of each species was expressed as cells per milliliter of seawater. The total cell density ranged from 10(2) to 10(6) cells center dot ml(-1). The dominant taxa were diatoms, such as Chaetoceros spp., Skeletonema spp., and Thalassiosira spp. in most of the months. The dominant diatom species reached concentrations of 10(6) cells center dot ml(-1). Microflagellates or Cryptomonadaceae were also abundant, especially in winter, reaching 10(6) cells center dot ml(-1). These data can be used to appreciate how anthropogenic disturbances such as eutrophication and global warming affect the density and community composition of phytoplankton. The detailed Metadata for this abstract published in the Data Paper section of the journal is available in MetaCat in JaLTER at .

Automated summary

The study on the abundance of phytoplankton species in Tokyo Bay showed that diatoms, particularly Chaetoceros spp., Skeletonema spp., and Thalassiosira spp., were the dominant taxa. The data can provide valuable insight into how anthropogenic disturbances like eutrophication and global warming affect the density and community composition of phytoplankton.