Assignment of photosynthetic parameters in estimation of marine phytoplankton production from remote sensing of ocean colour.
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Authors
Forget, Marie-Helene.
Journal Title
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Publisher
Dalhousie University
Abstract
Description
Photosynthesis (primary production) is the fundamental process by which solar photons are transformed into organic matter that is the source of energy for the entire food web. The first chapter of this thesis reviews the concepts that underpin models of marine primary production as well as the relevant parameters and their variation according to phytoplankton functional type. The application of the models to compute primary production from remotely-sensed images of ocean colour is then reviewed. The different approaches for assignment of the photosynthetic parameters in the model are presented and the advantages and disadvantages of each one of them are discussed. Particular emphasis is given to understanding the variability in photosynthesis-irradiance ( P -- E) parameters, which is the focus of the thesis.
In Chapter 2 and 4, new measurements of P -- E are presented for two ecologically-different regions of the North Atlantic: the tropical Caribbean waters and the temperate North-West Atlantic. The issues that have to be addressed for regional computations of primary production are examined, and results are presented for primary production in the two regions using remotely-sensed data on ocean colour. Chapter 3 presents a new method for extraction of the photosynthesis-response parameters from profiles of in situ phytoplankton production. The procedure, previously proposed but hitherto untested, is here implemented in various aquatic systems and a protocol is established for its use. The major conclusions and recommendations for future work are presented in the fifth and final chapter.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dalhousie University (Canada), 2007.
In Chapter 2 and 4, new measurements of P -- E are presented for two ecologically-different regions of the North Atlantic: the tropical Caribbean waters and the temperate North-West Atlantic. The issues that have to be addressed for regional computations of primary production are examined, and results are presented for primary production in the two regions using remotely-sensed data on ocean colour. Chapter 3 presents a new method for extraction of the photosynthesis-response parameters from profiles of in situ phytoplankton production. The procedure, previously proposed but hitherto untested, is here implemented in various aquatic systems and a protocol is established for its use. The major conclusions and recommendations for future work are presented in the fifth and final chapter.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dalhousie University (Canada), 2007.
Keywords
Biology, Oceanography., Remote Sensing.