HOE_Legacy2A-KM1513-MicroZooplanktonAbundance_2021-05-01_v1.0

This dataset comes from sampling performed during the Hawaii Ocean Experiment - Legacy 2A cruise aboard the R/V Kilo Moana (cruise KM1513) in the north Pacific subtropical gyre. At select stations and depths (ranging from 5 to 45m), using a graduated cylinder a 1L volume was transferred into a clean 2L amber bottle. Samples were then fixed using a mixture of 5% Acid Lugol’s and 37% formaldehyde (to toughen cell walls) and allowed to fix overnight. Following the fixation period the total volume was gravity filtered through a 25-mm diameter, 8 micron pore size, black polycarbonate filter with a polyester drain disk as a backing filter. Following filtration polycarbonate filters were mounted onto 25x75mm glass slides with immersion oil, cover slides were added and all edges of the cover slip were sealed with quick dry nail polish. All slides were stored at -20°C and counted within 30 days. The slide was brought to room temperature and counted using a Nikon Diaphot 200 inverted microscope equipped with a drawing tube and cell measuring capabilities via Pax Microbiota software. Abundance, biomass, and general community and size composition of the heterotrophic community larger than 15 microns was determined.