PHYTOPLANKTON OF THE BAYS OF THE ARAL SEA

Abstract

For the first time in the last ten years, this article provides information about the phytoplankton of the Tushybas and Chernyshev bays of the Aral Sea. The studies were conducted in the late summer of 2021 and 2022. According to the results of the work, 12 microalgae taxa from three systematic groups were identified in the algocenosis of the surveyed sites. The largest number of species and forms are represented by diatoms, which unite five families. The minimum number of taxa was noted for cyanobacteria. The quantitative development of algocenosis is not represented by high indicators. During the study period, the number of microalgae in Tushybas Bay reached 30 million cl/m3 in 2021 and 533.33 million cl/m3 in 2022, in Chernyshev Bay 358.33 million cl/m3 in 2021 and 145 million cl/m3 in 2022. In terms of microalgae biomass, there was a sharp increase in the indicator in 2022 relative to 2021. The data obtained indicate favorable conditions of the food base for planktonic zoocenoses.