No abstract

We applied two numerical methods to in situ hyperspectral measurements of remote sensing reflectance Rrs to assess the feasibility of remote detection and monitoring of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, which has been shown to exhibit unique absorption properties. First, an existing quasi-analytical algorithm was used to invert remote sensing reflectance spectra, Rrs(lambda), to derive phytoplankton absorption spectra, a(phi)Rrs(lambda). Second, the fourth derivatives of the a(phi)Rrs(lambda) spectra were compared to the fourth derivative of a reference K. brevis absorption spectrum by means of a similarity index (SI) analysis. Comparison of reflectance-derived a(phi) with filter pad measured a(phi) found them to agree well (R2=0.891; average percentage difference, 22.8%). A strong correlation (R2=0.743) between surface cell concentration and the SI was observed, showing the potential utility of SI magnitude as an indicator of bloom strength. A sensitivity analysis conducted to investigate the effects of varying levels of cell concentrations and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) on the efficacy of the quasi-analytical algorithm and SI found that a(phi)Rrs(lambda) could not be derived for very low cell concentrations and that, although it is possible to derive a(phi)Rrs(lambda) in the presence of high CDOM concentrations, CDOM levels influence the a(phi)Rrs(lambda) amplitude and shape. Results suggest that detection and mapping of K. brevis blooms based on hyperspectral measurements of Rrs are feasible.

[1] Vertical migration behavior is found in many harmful algal blooms; however, the corresponding impact on ocean optical properties has not been quantified. A nearmonospecific population of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis was encountered off the west coast of Florida. The community was tracked for 24 hours by following a Lagrangian drifter deployed at the beginning of the experiment. A suite of inherent optical and cellular measurements was made. Over the 24 hour period, the K. brevis population increased during the day with concentrations peaking in the late afternoon (1600 local daylight time) in the upper 2 m of the water column. The increase in K. brevis in surface waters resulted in enhanced reflectance at the sea surface with distinct spectral changes. There was a 22% decrease in the relative amount of the green reflectance due to increased pigment absorption. There was enhanced red (35%) and infrared (75%) light reflectance due to the increased particle backscatter and chlorophyll a fluorescence; however, the relative impact of the fluorescence was relatively small despite high cell numbers due to the significant fluorescence quenching present in K. brevis. The relative change in the blue light reflectance was not as large as the change in green light reflectance, which is surprising given the pigment absorption in the blue wavelengths of light. The increased blue light pigment absorption was offset by a significant decrease in nonalgal particle absorption. The inverse relationship between K. brevis and nonalgal particles was robust. This relationship may reflect low grazing on K. brevis populations due to the neurotoxins associated with this dinoflagellate. The low-grazing pressure may provide the mechanism by which this slow-growing dinoflagellate can achieve high cell numbers in the ocean.Citation: Schofield, O., J. Kerfoot, K. Mahoney, M. Moline, M. Oliver, S. Lohrenz, and G. Kirkpatrick (2006), Vertical migration of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis and the impact on ocean optical properties,

No abstract

No abstract