POSTER SESSION 1
15:30–17:30, Monday, September 14
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ABSTRACT 1104 | POSTER 173
THE APPLICATION OF SINGLE-TURNOVER ACTIVE FLUOROMETRY (STAF) TO AUTONOMOUS ASSESSMENT OF PHYTOPLANKTON PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY AT HIGH SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL RESOLUTION
Chelsea Technologies have developed Single Turnover Active Fluorometer (STAF) systems for quantitative assessment of phytoplankton photosynthetic activity and primary production. Here, we show that STAF can be used to generate methodologically consistent data at high resolution over large spatial and temporal scales. The default measurement cycle is centred around the so-called Fluorescence Light Curve (FLC) which measures photo-physiological parameters and photosynthetic rates over a range of light intensities.
The default protocol further includes a Photochemical Excitation Profile (PEP). The PEP provides a sample-specific absorption coefficients of PSII light harvesting, which is incorporated within the calculation of PSII electron flux on the same scale as carbon assimilation. PEP-derived data also hold the potential to track changes in phytoplankton community composition.
We present data derived from more than 15,000 FLCs. These data were generated using LabSTAF systems connected to the continuous seawater supply on seven research cruises, from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean. The high sensitivity of STAF has allowed for uninterrupted measurements across ultra-oligotrophic regions and during the polar night.
The deployable MicroSTAF system provides the potential to greatly increase spatial and temporal scales, over and above those already achieved with ship-based LabSTAF systems. MicroSTAF is extremely compact and requires <3 W of DC power for otherwise autonomous operation, making it suitable for deployment on a wide range of platforms. Improved methodology and additional hardware are expected to significantly shorten the measurement cycle, from the typical 15 minute LabSTAF protocol to as little as five minutes with MicroSTAF.
Kevin Oxborough, Chelsea Technologies, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1098-3533
Nina Schuback, Chelsea technologies Ltd., [email protected]
Mark Moore, University of Southampton, UK, [email protected]
Alison Chase, University of Washington, USA, [email protected]
Patrick Gray, University of Maine, USA, [email protected]
Ben Fisher, University of Edinburgh, UK, [email protected]
Tom Jordan, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK, [email protected]
Gavin Tilstone, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK, [email protected]
Raul Costa, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Brazil, [email protected]
Carlos Mendes, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Brazil, [email protected]
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