NEON Prototype Aquatic Periphyton, Seston, and Phytoplankton Chemical Properties Data from 2014-2016

Periphyton, seston, and phytoplankton samples are collected three times per year at wadeable stream, river, and lake sites during aquatic biology bout windows, roughly in spring, summer, and fall. Samples are collected using the most approriate sampler for the habitat and substratum type, including rock scrubs, grab samples, and epiphyton. In wadeable streams, periphyton samples are collected in the two most dominant benthic habitat types (e.g. riffles, runs, pools, step pools), and seston samples are collected from the water column near the S2 sensor. In lakes, water-column phytoplankton samples are collected near the buoy, inlet, and outlet sensors using a Kemmerer sampler, and in littoral areas using the best benthic sampling method for the substratum type. In rivers, phytoplankton samples are collected near the buoy and two other deep-water locations using a Kemmerer sampler, and in littoral areas using the most benthic sampling method for the substratum type. All samples are subsampled at the domain support facility by filtering on glass-fiber filters then frozen and shipped to an external analytical facility for analysis.

附生生物（Periphyton）、悬浮颗粒物（Seston）与浮游植物（Phytoplankton）样本将每年在可涉水溪流、河流及湖泊点位开展三次采集，采样时段设置于水生生物学调查窗口期内，大致覆盖春季、夏季与秋季。
样本采集将采用适配生境与底质类型的最优方案，涵盖岩石刮洗法、表层抓取采样法及附生生物采样法。
在可涉水溪流中，附生生物样本将采自两种最主要的底栖生境类型（例如急流浅滩、缓流段、深潭及阶梯潭），而悬浮颗粒物样本则采集自S2传感器附近的水体中。
在湖泊中，水体浮游植物样本将使用凯默勒采水器（Kemmerer sampler）于浮标、进水口及出水口传感器附近采集；沿岸带样本则采用适配底质类型的最优底栖采样方法完成采集。
在河流中，浮游植物样本将使用凯默勒采水器于浮标及另外两处深水点位采集；沿岸带样本则采用适配底质类型的最优底栖采样方法开展采集。
所有样本将在区域支撑设施内通过玻璃纤维滤膜（glass-fiber filters）过滤完成分样，随后进行冷冻处理并运送至外部分析机构进行检测分析。