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Accession Number:
AD1099119
Title:
Using Fluorescence and Bioluminescence Sensors to Characterize Auto-and Heterotrophic Plankton Communities
Corporate Author:
NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON DC WASHINGTON United States
Report Date:
2018-12-14
Abstract:
High-resolution autonomous sensors routinely measure physical temperature, salinity, chemical oxygen, nutrients and biological fluorescence parameters. However, while fluorescence provides a proxy for phytoplankton, heterotrophic populations remain challenging to monitor in real-time and at high resolution. Bathyphotometers, sensors which measure the light emitted by bioluminescent organisms when mechanically stimulated, provide the capability to identify bioluminescent dinoflagellates and zooplankton. In the coastal ocean, highly abundant dinoflagellates emitting low-intensity flashes generate a background bioluminescence signal, while rarer zooplankton emit bright flashes that can be individually resolved by high-frequency sensors. Bathyphotometers were deployed from ships and onboard autonomous underwater vehicles AUVs during three field campaigns in Monterey Bay, California. Ship-based in situ water samples were simultaneously collected and the plankton communities characterized. Plankton concentrations were matched with concurrent datasets of fluorescence and bioluminescence to develop proxies for autotrophic and heterotrophic dinoflagellates, other phytoplankton such as diatoms, copepods, larvaceans appendicularians, and small jellies. The method extracts the bioluminescence background as a proxy for dinoflagellates, and exploits differences in bioluminescence flash intensity between several types of zooplankton to identify larvaceans, copepods and small jellies. Fluorescence is used to discriminate between autotrophic and heterotrophic dinoflagellates, and to identify other autotrophic plankton. Concurrent fluorometers and bathyphotometers onboard AUVs can thus provide a novel view of plankton diversity and phytoplanktonzooplankton interactions in the sea.
Descriptive Note:
Journal Article - Open Access
Supplementary Note:
Progress in Oceanography , 171, 01 Jan 0001, 01 Jan 0001,
Pages:
0017
Distribution Statement:
Approved For Public Release;
File Size:
3.70MB
