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Environmental and Recreational Monitoring of Melnragė Beach (Chlorophyll, Water Quality, and Human Activity), Lithuanian coastal waters 2024
Citation
Lesutienė, J.; Baranauskaitė, S. (2025). Environmental and recreational monitoring of Melnragė Beach (chlorophyll, water quality, and human activity), Lithuanian coastal waters 2024. Klaipėda University. https://marineinfo.org/doc/dataset/8907

Availability: This work is licensed under http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/L08/current/MO meaning it is under moratorium until 2031-08-30

Description

This dataset presents results of the daily environmental and recreational monitoring at Melnragė Beach, Lithuanian coastal waters, covering the period of May 3 to September 23 2024. The beach is located in the lagoon plume area, under constant influence of the eutrophic freshwater input. Data include in situ water quality parameters (temperature, salinity, visual water quality assessment, presence of filamentous algae), phytoplankton group-specific fluorescence measurements obtained with a fluorometer (two independent sample replicates), and chlorophyll a concentrations determined spectrophotometrically after pigment extraction. The dataset also documents human activity indicators, namely the number of beach visitors and parked cars, observed simultaneously with water sampling. Together, these measurements provide a valuable record of nearshore ecosystem status, enabling analyses of relationships between phytoplankton dynamics, water quality, and human use of the beach. The dataset supports research on coastal monitoring, eutrophication, and sustainable management of recreational waters in the Baltic Sea region.

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The dataset includes variables: Week_day Day of the week when the observation was recorded (e.g., Mo, Tu, We); DateCalendar date of sampling (YYYY-MM-DD); Time_(GMT+3)Time of sampling, reported in local time (GMT+3);Water_Temperature_CSurface water temperature in °C; SalinityWater salinity (practical salinity units, PSU); Quality_score_Visual_valuationSubjective  score of water quality (scale, 1–5), based on visual inspection: 1_An algal film is visible on the water surface; 2_The water is intensely green; the bottom is not visible (0.5 m depth); 3_The water is turbid, greenish in color; 4_The water is clear, with a visible greenish tint; 5_The water is clear; Presence_Fil_algaePresence (1) or absence (0) of filamentous algae; Fluorometric measurements (FluoroProbe II) in replicate sample 1 (M1) and sample 2 (M2), μgL-1: M1/M2_Green_algae_fluor – Fluorescence estimate of green algae (M1). M1/M2_Cyanobacteria_fluor – Fluorescence estimate of cyanobacteria (M1). M1/M2_Diatoms_fluor – Fluorescence estimate of diatoms (M1). M1/M2_Cryptophytes_fluor – Fluorescence estimate of cryptophytes (M1).M1/M2_Yellow_subs_fluor – Fluorescence estimate of yellow substances (M1). M1/M2_Total_Chla_fluor – Total chlorophyll a concentration by fluorometer (sum of groups, M1). Total_Chla_Spec_Chlorophyll a concentration measured spectrophotometrically after pigment extraction (µg L-1), according to ISO 10260.Human activity: Beach_visitors Number of people present on the Melnragė beach Section: from Melnragė Mole to Battery Nordmole (WWII Bunker)at the time of sampling. Cars_parking Number of cars in the beach parking (Vėtros Street 55.73432566726889, 21.087488498975766) lot at the time of sampling. Melnragė Beach Water Sampling location55.73129835079257, 21.08497898758956 Total number of samples 116.


Scope
Keywords:
Brackish water · Algal blooms · Baltic Sea · Beaches · Coastal waters · Plumes · Visitors · Klaipėda · Lithuanian Exclusive Economic Zone

Geographical coverage
Klaipėda [Marine Regions]
Lithuanian Exclusive Economic Zone [Marine Regions]

Temporal coverage
3 May 2024 - 23 September 2024

Contributors
Klaipeda University; Marine research institute, moredata creator
Klaipeda University, moredata creator

Project
MARBEFES: MARine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning leading to Ecosystem Services, more
Funding Horizon Europe
Grant agreement ID 101060937

Data type: Data
Metadatarecord created: 2025-09-01
Information last updated: 2025-09-01
All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy