St. Louis River Estuary Phytoplankton and Water Quality, 2022 - 2024

This data package supports the project Building a Collaborative Water Quality Monitoring Strategy for a Changing St. Louis River Estuary, funded by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative. Led by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (LSNERR) and University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) datasets include 2023–2024 water quality, phytoplankton, and winter dissolved oxygen observations from eight estuary “hotspot” locations. Sampling captured seasonal variability and cyanobacteria bloom events. All samples were collected using standardized field and laboratory protocols. Project details and associated products are available at: https://nerrssciencecollaborative.org/project/Ramage22. This dataset can be used to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns in water quality and phytoplankton dynamics, assess predictors of cyanobacterial blooms, and monitor winter under-ice hypoxia in the St. Louis River Estuary. It is well-suited for research on nutrient-bloom relationships, seasonal ecological shifts, and long-term monitoring strategy development.