SoundHAB: FW: North Hood Canal bloom update

[Rita Horner]

I've looked at my literature on coccolithophorids and find no reference to 
a "coronal variety" of Emiliania huxleyi.  I also checked the website 
mentioned by Peter B. and tried to find something there with no luck.  I 
did get some SEM pictures of cells from the North Pacific, no mention of 
where the cells were from, and got a No Results when I queried the coronal 
variety.

My literature suggests that E. huxleyi from different water masses can be 
different depending on water temperature with an increase in calcification 
in colder waters and there can be all gradations in the amount of 
calcification.  A couple of recent papers (1991) suggest that there may be 
different types of E. huxleyi depending on their coccolith morphology and 
immunological properties of the coccolith polysaccharide.  However, not 
very much is known about this yet.

I still have the unpreserved water that Jim Postel brought in back in 
early August - it has been sitting in a sort of culture chamber with low 
light at about 12C.  I have no idea if there are any cells still present. 
Even when the sample was fresh, there were few live cells, most had sunk 
to the bottom of the container and lost their coccoliths.  There is about 
6 liters of water and if someone wants to come by and filter it that's 
fine.  Just let me know when you want to come.  I agree with Vera that the 
SEM should be done by the same people who did the original work that Peter 
mentions.

Coccolithophorid blooms off the WA coast are not that uncommon.  There was 
a huge bloom about 1996 or 1997 when Jim Postel was on one of the 
Macarthur cruises.  That was first reported by Jim Gowen from IOS.  I 
don't think it came into the Strait or Hood Canal.  The first one I know 
of in Hood Canal was last year.  I don't know if there was a bloom off the 
coast then or if there was one this year before it came into the Canal.

Rita






On Mon, 27 Aug 2007, Vera Trainer wrote:

> Hello Peter
> We at NWFSC can do the SEM within the next couple weeks if we can receive a 
> sample.  If someone else wants to do it, that's ok, too.  Perhaps the same 
> group that ID'd the outer coast species should do this one?  We'd need 
> assistance from someone (Rita?) in IDing the coccolithophorid. Sincerely, 
> Vera Trainer
>
> becker wrote:
>> Good Morning.
>> 
>> It would be interesting to get an SEM on the samples as the critical thing
>> is not Genus and species but form. The bloom off Vancouver Island that we (
>> physical oceanography community) hypothesize was the source for this bloom
>> was E. huxleyi coronal form...an unusual variant. The bloom off Vancouver
>> Is. in late Aug., early Sept of 2006 on La Perouse Bank was positively ID'
>> with SEM as this form alone. ( see this www site for further info on
>> Vancouver Is. Species ID: http://www.emidas.org/  E. huxleyi coronal
>> variation)
>> 
>> Note that on calling around to actual resident observers of Dabob and
>> Quillicene bays for the last 60 years (back to 1952 anyway), no such bloom
>> of E. huxleyi has ever been observed, so it is unique. ( Personal
>> communications with Richard E. Burge Ph.D. retired Director of WDF&W 
>> Brinnon
>> Lab and co workers who pre date him.)
>> 
>> The  a couple of scientists in the GLOBEC group has confirmed that the late
>> August west wind event (2006) was of sufficient duration and intensity to
>> move coastal surface waters into and through the straits to the entrance of
>> Admiralty Inlet. Event mechanisms for getting the coastal surface water 
>> into
>> Hood's canal are fairly easy to propose and could be confirmed
>> experimentally with surface drifters...no one has ever tried.
>>  If indeed the 2006 bloom from Vancouver Island made it into Hood's Canal 
>> we
>> may need to review the assumptions about the isolation of Hood's Canal from
>> effects from oceanic waters and species. 
>> It is also clear that a species of Vibrio long known to occupy the coastal
>> waters that is toxic to shellfish at the larval stage and early setting
>> stages made its way into Hood's Canal in 2006 ...and is still there...it
>> also was not previously noted by observers at Brinnon over 60 years.
>> 
>> Just how long would it take to get SEM of the Hood's Canal bloom done
>> anyway?
>> 
>> 
>> P Becker
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: soundhab-bounces at whoi.edu [mailto:soundhab-bounces at whoi.edu] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Jan Newton
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 2:07 PM
>> To: Jack Rensel
>> Cc: soundhab at whoi.edu
>> Subject: Re: SoundHAB: FW: North Hood Canal bloom update
>> 
>> Please see:
>> http://www.hoodcanal.washington.edu/observations/bloom_fishkill.jsp
>> for more info on this bloom.
>> 
>> Jan
>>
>> 
>
>

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Rita A. Horner                        373 Marine Science Bldg
School of Oceanography
Box 357940                            Phone:  206-543-8599
University of Washington              Fax:  206-543-0275
Seattle, WA  98195-7940               rita at ocean.washington.edu

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