Collection of storm cast
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Find three 5 m long beach sections with storm cast (transects).
Determine the coordinates of the area with GPS or navigation system of your mobile
phone or determine your location on map and find the coordinates later (e.g. with
help of Google Earth).
Choose the most fresh storm cast, i.e. closest to the sea (can be at waterline).
Fix the tape measure in the starting point of the transect and measure the transect
along storm cast swath (parallel to the shore). Do not trample on storm cast that you
will collect later!
Describe each transect (e.g. how broad is the storm cast, is it fresh or dried, thick
wall or discontiguous strip).
Take a frame sample with the 20x20 cm frame at 0m, 1m, 2m, 3m and 4m points of
the transect (from the part of the storm cast strip, which is closest to the waterline).
Take only the plants from inside the frame – cut or tear off the plants that are outside
the frame.
Write the name of the area, number of the transect, number of the sample and the
date on a plastic bag using water proof marker (e.g. Viinistu, 28.08.13, Transekt 1,
2m). The other option is to write with lead pencil on a piece of grease-proof paper
(use cutting board as base), pack this piece of paper into foil and put it into a plastic
bag together with the sample. Pack the samples into bigger bags by transects.
Deep freeze the samples if it is not possible to analyse them during 48 hours. If you
can analyse the samples during 48 hours then keep them in normal fridge.
Analysis of storm cast
10) Defreeze the deep frozen samples. It can be done by putting the samples into cold
water together with the bag.
11) If needed, wash the sample through a plastic sieve with 1mm holes (can be bought in
every shop).
12) Remove additives not belonging to the marine flora (e.g. feathers, tree leaves, club
rush, terrestrial plants)
13) It is better to sort/examine the sample in a broad shallow water bowl. Tap water can be
used.
14) Separate the key species from the sample – bladder wrack (Fucus), Furcellaria,
eelgrass (Zostera marina) and stoneworts (Charophyta) (including Tolypella
nidifica)
15) Identify all plant species represented in the sample. Use a microscope for identifying
filamentous algae.
16) Put the key species (can be all together) and the rest of the sample into two separate
heaps.
For MARMONI: Determine the dry weight (drying at 60°C until constant weight is
reached, 1-2 weeks, depends on sample size).
For teachers: Determine the wet weight of both heaps. For determining the wet
weight, remove water from the sample by drying the sample with paper towel until
the water content in the sample is minimal.
17) Calculate the share of the biomass of the key species from the total sample.
18) For determining the number of species, group the species that are hard to distinguish,
e.g.
- Pilayella and Ectocarpus - 1 species
- Potamogeton pectinatus, Ruppia and Zannichellia – 1 species
- Charophyta (except Tolypella) – 1 species
Calculation of SMI (Stormcast Macrovegetation Index)
Pv – Share of key species in the community/sample
Nf – Number of species of filamentous algae
N – Number of species of benthic flora
Example:
Share of key species 20% (Charophyta 10%, Fucus 10%), the rest of the sample 80%.
Number of species of benthic flora 4, including 2 species of filamentous algae. The list of
filamentous algae is in table 1.
SMI=(1-20/100)/(1+20/100)x2/4≈0,33
Table 1. List of filamentous algae.
Name
Synonymes
Phylum
Aglaothamnion roseum
Callithamnion roseum
Red algae
Battersia arctica
Sphacelaria arctica
Brown algae
Capsosiphon fulvescens
Green algae
Ceramium tenuicorne
Ceramium diaphanum var. arachnoideum
Red algae
Ceramium virgatum
Ceramium rubrum
Red algae
Chaetomorpha linum
Chroodactylon ornatum
Green algae
Asterocytis ornata
Red algae
Cladophora glomerata
Green algae
Cladophora rupestris
Green algae
Dictyosiphon foeniculaceus
Brown algae
Ectocarpus siliculosus
Brown algae
Elachista fucicola
Brown algae
Leathesia marina
Leathesia difformis
Brown algae
Monostroma balticum
Ulva baltica
Green algae
Percursaria percursa
Green algae
Pilayella littoralis
Pylaiella litoralis
Brown algae
Polysiphonia fibrillosa
Polysiphonia violaceum
Red algae
Polysiphonia fucoides
Polysiphonia nigrescens
Red algae
Protohalopteris radicans
Sphacelaria radicans
Brown algae
Rhizoclonium riparium
Green algae
Rhodochorton purpureum
Red algae
Rhodomela confervoides
Red algae
Spongomorpha aeruginosa
S. congregata, S. lanosa
Green algae
Stictyosiphon tortilis
Brown algae
Ulothrix sp
Green algae
Ulva intestinalis
Enteromorpha intestinalis
Green algae
Ulva prolifera
Enteromorpha prolifera
Green algae
Urospora penicilliformis
Vaucheria sp
Green algae
Yellow-green
algae
(Xanthophyta)