Microplankton species assemblages at the Scripps Pier from March to November 1983 during the 1982-1984 El Nino event

A semiweekly sampling program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier was begun in 1983 during an El Nino event. Microplankton data for March to November 1983 show a temporal sequence of species assemblages of the 24 important taxa, with a residence time of 1 to 4 weeks. From March to early September, the assemblages consisted of typical neritic taxa. From mid-September to mid-November, the presence of oceanic warm-wave species was associated with positive temperature anomalies characteristic of the El Nino condition. During the period studied numerical abundances were low.