Phytoplankton biomass, speciation and productivity

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Phytoplankton biomass, speciation and productivity

• Current situation
• Needs for the future

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Phytoplankton biomass

• Chlorophyll a
• - in situ sampling
• underway by fluorescence
• - fluorescence on moorings
• - remote sensing, ocean colour

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In situ sampling
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Remote sensing
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Surface chlorophyll patterns between Australia
and Antarctica, October-March
Tilbrook, Wright, Poissson, and Griffiths, ms.
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Phytoplankton speciation

• In situ sampling (counts or HPLC)
• Remote sensing
• Continuous Plankton Recorder
• Flow cytometry

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Primary production
- In situ measurements - FRRF (in situ or
underway) - Remote sensing
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Comparison of column production estimates

• Comparison done using the Vertically Generalized
  Production model and data from Aurora Australis
  and Southern Surveyor cruises.

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Classes of Productivity Algorithms

• Empirical Algorithms
• Direct correlation between in-situ estimates of
  primary productivity and satellite estimates of
  surface chlorophyll (Eppley, Mitchell, Balch and
  co-workers Behrenfeld and Falkowski).
• Analytical Algorithms
• Environmental photosynthetic yield (Morel and
  co-workers)
• Photosynthesis-light response (Platt and
  co-workers)
• Photosynthetic quantum yield estimates (Keifer,
  Marra)
• Absorbance cross section for photosynthesis
  (Kolber and Falkoswski

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Effect of corrections on productivity estimates
in the Southern Ocean
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Key issues for SOOS

• Collation of data sets (be done now)
• Continuous remotely sensed data for Ocean colour
• Validation data for remotely sensed variables
  including chlorophyll a and optical properties (5
  to 10 years)
• supply ships, tourist ships, better
  instrumentation of research ships and moorings

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Research needs

• Improved algorithms for remotely sensed
  chlorophyll a, phytoplankton speciation, primary
  production
• Improved algorithms for FRRF for primary
  production

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Future developments in technology

• Chlorophyll a sensors on floats
• Chlorophyll a sensors on AUVs
• Flow cytometers on AUVs and floats
• FRRF type technology on AUVs and floats

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Other observations needed

• Mixed layer depth
• Nutrients
• pH
• Ice cover

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