Our research team conducted a 48-hour sampling campaign to investigate the temporal dynamics of coastal marine microbial communities. The study involved collecting water samples at six-hour intervals, providing a high-resolution snapshot of microbial activity over two full day-night cycles. This sampling protocol was designed to capture the diel variations in marine prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses.
Water samples were carefully filtered to isolate different microbial components, allowing for comprehensive analysis of the diverse marine microbial ecosystem. Concurrent with biological sampling, we recorded crucial physico-chemical parameters to contextualize the microbial data within the changing environmental conditions.
This intensive effort aims to shed light on the short-term fluctuations in microbial populations and their potential drivers in coastal marine environments. The resulting dataset promises to offer valuable insights into the complex interplay between marine microbes and their dynamic coastal habitat over diurnal cycles.