After each field study, the 250 mL preserved samples were
analyzed in our laboratory over the course of several months.
Phytoplankton > 20 mm in size were identified and enumerated
on a Nikon Eclipse E800 microscope in a Sedgewick-Rafter
chamber at 100 using phase contrast optics.
Samples were homogenized before counting by gently inverting
the sample bottle
50 times