LifeWatch observatory data: phytoplankton observations by imaging flow cytometry (FlowCam) in the Belgian Part of the North Sea

In the framework of the Lifewatch marine observatory a number of fixed stations on the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS) are visited on a monthly or seasonal basis using the RV Simon Stevin. A grid of nine stations covers the coastal zone and are sampled monthly. Eight additional stations, located further at sea, are sampled on a seasonal basis. This dataset contains phytoplankton observations in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS) since May 2017. Phytoplankton is sampled by a plankton Apstein net of 55 micrometers mesh size. The samples are filtered in a 300 µm mesh size net and processed with the FlowCAM VS-4 at 4X magnification, using a FC300 flow cell, at a flow rate of 1.7mL/min. The identification of the samples is done with the software VisualSpreadsheet and the automatic classification is validated by an experienced operator.