Data from Diel Studies of the vertical migration of Margalefidinium polykrikoides in a lower Chesapeake Bay tributary.

This dataset is in support of the publication "Diel vertical migration rates of the harmful algal bloom dinoflagellate species Margalefidinium polykrikoides in a lower Chesapeake Bay tributary." published in Frontiers in Aquatic Microbiology. The paper provides field-derived estimates of M. polykrikoides’ diel vertical migration (DVM) rates have been made in the Chesapeake Bay. In this study, we conducted four targeted field experiments to investigate the DVM of M. polykrikoides in the Lafayette River, a sub-tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Vertical profiles of chlorophyll a fluorescence collected at least every 2 h over diel periods were used to track the DVM of M. polykrikoides during blooms. Here we provide two supporting data files: 1) vertical profile data collected during the diel studies; and 2) cell counts for vertically migrating dinoflagellate species present during the first three diel studies.