Picoplankton in Bay. Picoplankton are micron-sized, single-cell algae that are an integral component of aquatic ecosystem , both in estuarine and open ocean waters. In the paper "Spatial and Temporal Variability of Picocyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. in San Francisco Bay" (Limnology and Oceanography), Vol 45 (3) pp.695-702) , X. Ning et al examined the spatial and temporal dynamics of picoplankton populations in the diverse estuarine environment of San Francisco Bay. Oceanographers classify the