Pam, UR- The scientific plan of action!

You can't see one, but of course with many we can see evidence of them. Diatoms I'm talking about.

So now I need to formulate my scientific question, which will determine the purpose, methods and materials, which will determine effectiveness. I'll be dragging a cone sieve behind a boat to gather the diatoms in two different locations. The northernmost sample will be the Tomoka River at the State

Tomoka River near State Park

Park. Here the water is brackish, which is fresh water from tributaries draining into the saltier Tomoka River. The Tomoka also joins two ocean inlets, Matanzzas Inlet and Ponce Inlet north and south respectively.
The southern sample source will be near Oak Hill, the northern end of the Indian River. It is more saline as it is closer to Ponce Inlet, and has less fresh water tributaries emptying into it.

northern Indian River near Ponce Inlet

So my question: How will the samples be different regarding salinity and source. I realize this is broad at the moment but you have to start somewhere.

My methods and materials: for materials I'll use the same seine cone for each, more details to follow. My method: sample for salinity at the start and end of sample area. (If I sample in the middle my sieve will drop or float and my samples will drift away) The sample area has to be large enough to get a representative area meaning time length behind the boat. The cone has to be drug far enough from the boat so the source will not be too disturbed by the propeller and wake.

DSC student Samantha from 2015 blog photo! found while googling info on diatoms!

The water is less turbulent the further from the boat. A standard ski rope is around 75 feet. I guess I'll have to see what is available. The length of time could be 10 minutes. It's all coming together!