UK Plankton Snapshot

We asked plankton scientists and citizen scientists "What's interesting, unusual, or abundant in you samples at the moment?" and here's what they said!

This thread is continually updated, with the latest entries at the top. If you’ve sampled plankton recently and want to tell us about it, use this form.

North Norfolk, 26 August 2026

The diatom genus Rhizosolenia (mainly R. imbricata) appeared to be in great numbers this week, with Asterionellopsis glacialis and Chaetoceros spp. also dominating. There was definitely an increase in the larvae of polychaete worms from the family Sabellariidae. As usual, there were plenty of copepod nauplii about too. Follow Elizabeth Beston on Instagram.

Suffolk, 23 August 2026

This sample was bulging with the Harpacticoida copepod, Euterpina acutifrons. The non-native calanoida copepod species Pseudodiaptomus marinus was also present. The most dominant diatom, by far, was Rhizosolenia spp., with plenty of R. imbricata, and the larger R. styliformis throughout. Follow Elizabeth Beston on Instagram.

West Wales, August 2026

The most abundant zooplankton this month were bivalve larvae, and Chaetoceros spp. dominanted the phytoplankton, particular C. curvisetus. Read more on Julian Cremona’s blog

Dorset, August 2026

A light trap left overnight produced many zoea larvae of the mantis shrimp Rissodies desmaresti. Follow Steve Trewhella on Instagram.