Abstract
A device incorporating microprocessor control and flow-through sampling permits high-speed measurements of chlorophyll a, and physical and chemical variables in aquatic systems. Continuous sampling of chlorophyll a, conductivity, temperature, salinity, incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), underwater PAR, and pH facilitates multiple correlations and mapping of variables at both small and large spatial scales. The instrument is portable and can be installed in a small boat for “rapid response” sampling of large areas. The low-voltage DC power requirement and shallow draft make the device especially suitable for work in shallow coastal areas, tidal creeks, bayous, and physically complex aquatic landscapes where larger vessels cannot be operated. Examples of applications of the instrument are discussed. In Fourleague Bay, Louisiana, a shallow estuary on the Gulf of Mexico, we were able to detect horizontal chlorophyll a structure and transient fronts map spatial variations on the scale of a few meters to several kilometers, and follow movements of chlorophyll features through the estuary. These patterns were often not apparent when sampled at discrete stations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Literature Cited
Abbott, M. R., T. M. Powell, and P. J. Richerson. 1982. The relationship of environmentla variability to the spatial patterns of phytoplankton biomass in Lake Tahoe. Journal of Plankton Research 4:927–941.
Brown, M. C., T. L. Wigley, and D. C. Ford. 1969. Water budget studies in karst aquifers. Journal of Hydrology 9:113.
Burnison, B. K. 1980. Modified dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) extraction for chlorophyll analysis of phytoplankton. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 37:729–733.
Caperon, J., S. A. Cattell, and G. Krasnick. 1971. Phytoplankton kinetics in a sub-tropical estuary: Eutrophication. Limnology and Oceanography 16:599–607.
Chamberlin, W. S., C. R. Booth, D. A. Kiefer, J. H. Morrow, and R. C. Murphy 1990. Evidence for a simple relationship between natural fluorescence, photosynthesis, and chlorophyll in the sea. Deep-Sea Research 37:951–973.
Cloern, J. E. 1991. Tidal stirring and phytoplankton bloom dynamics in an estuary. Journal of Marine Research 49:203–221.
Cloern, J. E. and F. H. Nichols. 1985. Time scales and mechanisms of estuarine variability, a synthesis from studies of San Francisco Bay. Hydrobiologia 129:229–237.
Falkowski, P. and D. A. Kiefer. 1985. Chlorophyll a fluorescence in phytoplankton: Relationship to photosynthesis and biomass. Journal of Plankton Research 7:715–731.
Flemer, D. 1969. Continuous measurement of in vivo chlorophyll of a dinoflagellate bloom in Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Science 10:99–103.
Gordon, H. R., D. K. Clark, J. W. Brown, and R. H. Evans. 1982. Satellite measurement of the phytoplankton pigment concentration in the surface waters of a warm core gulf Stream ring. Journal of Marine Research 40:491–502.
Herman, A. W. and K. L. Denman. 1977. Rapid underway profiling of chlorophyll with an in situ fluorometer mounted on a ‘Batfish’ vehicle. Deep-Sea Research 24:385–397.
Hobson, L. A. and C. J. Lorenzen. 1972. Relationships of chlorophyll maxima to density structure in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Research 19:297–306.
Hobson, L. A. and C. J. Lorenzen. 1972. Relationships of chlorophyll maxima to density structure in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Research 19:297–306.
Hulse, G. 1975. A shipboard monitoring system. Technical Report 22. Marine Science Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook. 125 p.
Huzzey, L. M., J. E. Cloern, and T. M. Powell. 1990. Episodic changes in lateral transport and phytoplankton distribution in South San Francisco Bay. Limnology and Oceanography 35:472–478.
Jeffrey, S. W. and G. F. Humphrey. 1975. New spectrophotometric equations for determining chlorophyll a, b, cl, and c2 in higher plants, algae, and natural phytoplankton. Biochemie und Physiologie der Pflanzen (BPP) 167:191–194.
Keizer, P. D. and D. C. Gordon. 1973 Detection of trace amounts of crude oils in sea water by fluorescence spectroscopy. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 30:1039–1046.
Kiefer, D. A. 1973. Fluorescence properties of natural phytoplankton populations. marine Biology 22:263–269.
Kiefer, D. A., W. S. Chamberlin, and C. R. Booth. 1989. Natural fluorescence of chlorophyll a: Relationship to photosynthesis and chlorophyll concentration in the western South Pacific gyre. Limnology and Oceanography 34:868–881.
Loftus, M. E., S. V. Subba Rao, and H. H. Seliger. 1972. Growth and dissipation of phytoplankton in Chesapeake Bay. I. Response to a large pulse of rainfall. Chesapeake Science 13: 282–299.
Lorenzen, C. J. 1966. A method for the continuous measurement of in vivo chlorophyll concentration. Deep-Sea Research 13:223–227.
Madden, C. J. 1986. Distribution and loading of nutrients in Fourleague Bay, a shallow Louisiana estuary. M. S. Thesis. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 144 p.
Madden, C. J. 1992a. Design of a flow-through measurement system for high speed mapping of in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence and water quality in shallow coastal waters. Technical report. Coastal Ecology Institute, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 49 p.
Madden, C. J. 1992b. Control of phytoplankton production in a shallow, turbid estuary. Ph.D. Dissertation. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 195 p.
Madden, C. J., J. W. Day, Jr., and J. M. Randall. 1988. Freshwater and marine coupling in estuaries of the Mississippi River deltaic plain. Limnology and Oceanography 33:982–1004.
Platt, T. 1972. Local phytoplankton abundance and turbulence. Deep-Sea Research 19:183–187.
Powell, T. M., J. E. Cloern, and R. A. Waters. 1986. Phytoplankton spatial distribution in South San Francisco Bay: Mesoscale and small-scale variability, p. 369–383. In V. S. Kennedy (ed.), Estuarine Variability. Academic Press, New York.
Schemel, L. E., and L. A. Dedini. 1982a. Continuous water sampling and water analysis in estuaries. United States Geological Survey, Open-File Report 82-551. Menlo Park, California. 27 p.
Schemel, L. E. and L. A. Dedini. 1982b. A continuous watersampling and multiparameter-measurement system for estuaries. United States Geological Survey, Open-File Report 79-273. Menlo Park, California. 92 p.
Setser, P. J., N. L. Guinasso, Jr., N. L. Condra, D. A. Weisenburg, and D. R. Schink. 1983. A deep-towed pumping system for continuous underway sampling. Environmental Science and Technology 17:47–49.
Signet Scientific. 1988. Signet Scientific manual, model 3–9859 conductivity analyzer. Signet Scientific, El Monte, California. 19 p.
Turner Designs. 1983. Turner Designs manual, fluorometric facts. Bulletin 101. Turner Designs Inc., Sunnyvale California. 11 p.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Madden, C.J., Day, J.W. An instrument system for high-speed mapping of chlorophyll a and physico-chemical variables in surface waters. Estuaries 15, 421–427 (1992). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352789
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352789