CERP Picayune Strand Restoration Project - Southwest Protection Features - Baseline Periphyton Monitoring; 2023-2025

We provide quarterly baseline data on the cover and relative abundance of diatoms in periphyton from five locations in Collier-Seminole State Park from October 2023 to May 2025 (although the conditions were dry in May 2025; therefore, no samples could be collected). These data will be used to monitor and adaptively manage the Southwest Protection Feature Levee component and additional operations of the larger Picayune Strand Restoration Project, near Naples, Florida. Additional data on the total biomass and algal content (chlorophyll-a) are also provided. Specifically, we: 1) measured periphyton cover and biovolume, 2) collected periphyton subsamples from three replicate locations at five pre-determined sites when surface water was present, and 3) provided dry, ash-free dry, and chlorophyll-a mass data, and 4) determined diatom species composition of periphyton communities. Dry conditions leading up to some sampling events reduced the overall robustness of the data. Sampling months were October 2023, January 2024, April 2024, July 2024, November 2024, February 2025, and May 2025. The excel file has data from all sampling events. There were 3 reports provided by Florida International University. The first report covers the first 2 sampling events. The third report covers all sampling events.