FlowCam images (4X) of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Phaeocystis globosa in the English Channel and North Sea

The dataset comprises images of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Phaeocystis globosa acquired with a FlowCam using a 4× objective in the English Channel and North Sea.
Samples were collected within the Ifremer SRN monitoring framework (Suivi Régional des Nutriments; Lefebvre & Devreker 2023) and processed according to the REPHY protocol (French network for observing and monitoring Phytoplankton and Hydrology in coastal waters; Belin et al., 2021). Digitization was performed with a benchtop FlowCam VS-IV (Yokogawa Fluid Imaging Technologies, Inc., USA) equipped with a Sony XCD SC90 digital grayscale camera (pixel size = 4.65 µm; resolution = 1,280 × 960 pixels; Gain = 0; Brightness = 0; Flash duration = 35 µsec), controlled via VisualSpreadsheet 3.0.3 software. Imaging was conducted in AutoImage mode, capturing images at regular intervals with a 4× objective lens (40× total magnification) and a 300 µm-depth flow cell. The acquisition filter was set to an Equivalent Spherical Diameter (ESD) range of 20–2,000 µm, corresponding to the flow cell width and encompassing the full size range of targeted phytoplankton particles and colonies.