Impact of Turbulence and Growth Rate on the Scattering Signatures of Marine Phytoplankton
Abstract
The long-range goal of my ONR-sponsored research has been to use bio-optical techniques to understand the distributions of phytoplankton, in space and time in the sea. An important control in this effort is to examine physical factors which affect particle size and shape (which would change their optical volume scattering function). Turbulent shear is one such process which can have profound effects on the shape of large cells, and the length of algal chains and is the focus of my work in year 1. In year 2, I focused on a method for identifying particles in the sea using their depolarization scattering properties. Phytoplankton species contain unique arrays of organelles and sub cellular particles which depolarize light to varying degrees. I am using the angular dependence of depolarization to aid in identification of phytoplankton species (and other particles).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA551473
Entities
People
- William M. Balch
Organizations
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences