Project Title:
Measurement of Chlorophyll, Related Pigments, and Productivity in the Sea
08.15-1315
Measurement of Chlorophyll, Related Pigments, and Productivity in the Sea
Biospherical Instruments Inc.
4901 Morena Blvd, #1003
San Diego
CA
92117
Booth
Charles R.
NAS7-969
Amount:
JPL
NAS7-942
Abstract:
The Phase I effort successfully demonstrated a new method of remotelymaking instantaneous measurements of the rates of primary production in phytoplankton
in the ocean. This approach avoids the manpower-intensive requirements of previous
methods and will allow NASA to make and correlate measurements of chlorophyll and
productivity with the optical signals sensed by spaceborne sensors at levels not
previously practical. As a result of this technique, the linkage between ocean color
and production will be further developed.
A series of models was developed that suggested that the rates of solar-stimulated
fluorescence from chlorophyll in plankton provided a good estimation of the concentration
of chlorophyll and a measure of the rates of carbon fixation of primary production.
A series of field tests verified these models and the agreement was excellent:
Natural fluorescence is readily measured and provides an accurate and rapid determination
of both the photosynthetic rate and pigment concentration. The small size and low
power consumption for the sensor would allow easy adaption to a variety of field
sampling. The biological and optical relationships fundamental to this new technique
will be refined and verified. This sensor will be designed and tested for validation.