Dinoflagellate cyst counts from sediment samples along a land-sea transect off Cape Blanc NW Africa (Maria S. Merian cruise MSM79)

Dinoflagellate cyst counts obtained in surface sediment samples collected along a shelf break-offshore transect in the upwelling region off Cape Blanc (NW Africa) are presented. Data was collected in November 2018 during the cruise Maria S. Merian MSM 79. New data on organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts in sediments were compared to cyst distributions in the water column and environmental parameters to investigate the cyst dispersal and accumulation patterns in deep-marine environments, detect possible cyst resuspension and other factors affecting cyst distribution in the water column and identify possible environmental signals in the sediment cyst assemblages.