Models of ocean colour rely on information about phytoplankton absorption, which varies according to community composition and photoacclimation. Here we show that pigment packaging, which is strongly determined by the size structure of local algal populations, represents a dominant factor in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, accounting for ~50%–80% of the reduction in phytoplankton absorption at 440 nm during the spring bloom periods and for 24%–48% before and after the blooms. This is consistent with the importance of diatoms in this environment. Comparison between three methods of estimating packaging gave average values within less than 20% of each other during the blooms. Changes in pigment composition, which also affect phytoplankton absorption, were more important outside bloom periods (particularly in the Gulf), although this influence was relatively modest (11%–13%). This was accompanied by an increase in photoprotective pigments and an absorption peak in the ultraviolet range (~330 nm). Regional variations in phytoplankton absorption reflected bloom conditions, whereas detrital particulate material was highest in the upstream Saguenay region (often more than 60% of the absorption of total particulate material at 440 nm (ap(440))) and was at least 20%–30% elsewhere. This information is a first step towards the development of regional models of ocean colour.

The absorption of suspended particulate material is commonly estimated with the filter pad technique, which requires a correction for pathlength amplification. The pathlength amplification factor (β) varies among different studies and phytoplankton species or communities. It remains the largest source of uncertainty in estimated absorption coefficients. Recently, several empirical models estimating this correction were developed but mostly for visible range. In this study, β was calculated empirically from the ratio of filtered to suspension absorption between 280 and 850 nm for cultures of two dinoflagellates and one diatom. Results show that in the visible waveband, β values are relatively constant and fall within the published range (averages between 2.4 and 2.8). These values remain flat over the UV waveband for the diatom tested. However, below 400 nm, the presence of mycosporine‐like amino acids (MAAs) strongly influences the absorbance measurements. For the dinoflagellates studied, the ultraviolet (UV) absorbance measured on frozen filters (stored in liquid nitrogen) reveals a large peak (Sosik 1999) caused by high concentrations of MAAs, which is much smaller on absorbance scans of suspended cells. This amplified UV peak adds to the true amplification effect caused by the extended pathlength of light in filter pads. This artifact, caused by the extracellular release of the water‐soluble MAAs during freezing, also was observed to a lower degree with measurements performed on fresh filters (immediate scanning), precluding the use of this method to estimate UV absorption in the species tested.

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Synthesis of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) can significantly protect phytoplankton cells against damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation, depending on the concentration, type and cellular distribution of these UV sunscreens. We addressed the hypothesis that MAAs are concentrated around UV-sensitive organelles for improved efficiency, thereby increasing their 'package effect'. This was investigated for 2 species of MAA-producing dinoflagellates, with comparative analyses of a MAA-free diatom. Spectral absorbance of dinoflagellates suspended in their growth medium was relatively small throughout the MAA-absorbing region despite high concentrations of these compounds (determined by HPLC), suggesting that MAAs are highly packaged in intact cells. The measured in vivo absorbance of suspended and filtered phytoplankton cells revealed an extracellular release of water-soluble MAAs during freezing. The release of MAAs upon thawing enabled the calculation of an MAA packaging index based on the comparison between absorption characteristics before (MAAs inside cells in suspension) and after freezing (MAAs released from cells on thawed filters). Additionally, MAA packaging was evaluated from the reconstruction of absorption spectra from the individual MAA concentration. Consistent with our hypothesis, the results showed that UV absorption was up to 80% lower in the intact cells relative to the MAAs dissolved in solution. These results imply a high degree of MAA packaging in these dinoflagellates, that may increase the protection efficiency for specific cellular targets. KEY WORDS: Package effect · Photoprotection · MAAs · UV-absorbing compounds · Bio-optics · Alexandrium tamarense Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 279: [297][298][299][300][301][302][303] 2004 Pigment packaging has a major influence on the light harvesting efficiency of algal cells (Kirk 1994 and references therein). The absorption efficiency of phytoplankton is a non-linear function of pigment concentration, thylakoid arrangement and cell size (Berner et al. 1989, Nelson et al. 1993. A similar packaging effect for UV sunscreens could be of importance to MAAproducing phytoplankton. For UV sunscreens however, packaging can be viewed as effectiveness, since with equal investments, a large organism would benefit more than a small one. The bio-optical model developed by Garcia-Pichel (1994) indicates that MAAs should only be marginally effective at reducing UV radiation due to the short pathlength characteristic of relatively small phytoplankton cells (assuming a homogeneous cytoplasmic distribution of MAAs). However, the localization of MAAs around UV-sensitive organelles (packaged MAAs) might increase their efficiency, although this has not yet been assessed. MAA packaging has been suggested previously for the colonial prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis antarctica (Davidson & Marchant 1994, Moisan & Mitchell 2001. However, MAA concentrations observed in colonial prymnesiophytes appeared too h...