Abstract
The nanoplankton communities were studied by means of a serial dilution culture method to reveal the presence of viable species during a 100 tonnes offshore oil spill experiment. The nanoplankton was dominated by the coccoid chrysophycean species Pelagococcus subviridis with cell numbers up to 107 cells per litre. Other important species were Emiliallia huxleyi, Micromonas pusilla and species of Pavlova, Cryptomonas, and Plagioselmis.