Impact of Viral Infection on Absorption and Scattering Properties of Marine Bacteria and Phytoplankton

The long range goal of our research was to document the role of viruses in light scattering in the sea. The DEPSCOR project was a joint venture between the University of New England and its affiliate, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. The objectives of this work were to 1 define the typical time scale for the shift in inherent optical properties a, b, c, and bb associated with viral infection of marine bacteria as compared to non-infected control populations, 2 define the maximum possible rates of change of inherent optical properties a, b, c, and bb under conditions of high virus multiplicity of infection, and 3 define the concurrent changes in 0.03-100 micro size spectra associated with viral infection of marine bacteria.