This document is the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for collecting and field-processing stream algae for the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP). Instructions are provided for the following:
• collection of samples for taxonomic identification of diatoms and soft-bodied algae
• collection of samples for determination of biomass based on chlorophyll a and ash-free dry mass (AFDM)
• estimation of percent algal cover