The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Identification of phytoplankton pigments from absorption and reflectance spectra

Identification of phytoplankton pigments from absorption and reflectance spectra
Identification of phytoplankton pigments from absorption and reflectance spectra

The optical properties of open ocean waters are mainly governed by the water itself and phytoplanktonic algae. As contemporary sensors develop higher spectral resolution, there is potential for a greater wealth of information relating to the absorption capabilities of phytoplankton which could help in identifying the major differences in taxonomic groups. Absorption spectra of photosynthetic algae are characterized by a continuous envelope reflecting the strong interaction among pigment molecules. The continuous nature of the spectra makes it difficult to estimate the contribution by each pigment to the total absorption spectra, unless these can be suitably decomposed. Mathematically this task can be accomplished using derivative and spectral deconvolution analyses.

This study establishes a methodology for identifying phytoplankton pigments from absorption and reflectance spectra by combining the derivative and spectral deconvolution methods and interpreting the results with knowledge of the distribution of the major light absorbing pigments. For achieving this objective several steps were performed: Firstly, the absorption peaks present in the spectra of different algal groups, measured in laboratory and in situ, were located through the derivative analysis; secondly, a combination of Gaussian-Lorentzian shaped bands, centered at these peaks, were fitted to the original spectra and finally, in situ absorption peaks were related to those of derivative reflectance spectra. Pigment analysis using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) provided the biological background for identifying these bands and peaks.

The results of this study show that the derivative method can successfully be used to identify pigments by their individual absorption peaks. A good agreement has been found between the original spectra and the reconstructed spectra which were Gaussian-Lorentzian combinations for laboratory and in vivo samples. Analysis of reflectance spectra through absorption spectra also showed promising results. As before, the pigment analysis by HPLC supported the biological interpretation of the bands.

University of Southampton
Gómez, Raúl Aguirre
Gómez, Raúl Aguirre

Gómez, Raúl Aguirre (1996) Identification of phytoplankton pigments from absorption and reflectance spectra. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

The optical properties of open ocean waters are mainly governed by the water itself and phytoplanktonic algae. As contemporary sensors develop higher spectral resolution, there is potential for a greater wealth of information relating to the absorption capabilities of phytoplankton which could help in identifying the major differences in taxonomic groups. Absorption spectra of photosynthetic algae are characterized by a continuous envelope reflecting the strong interaction among pigment molecules. The continuous nature of the spectra makes it difficult to estimate the contribution by each pigment to the total absorption spectra, unless these can be suitably decomposed. Mathematically this task can be accomplished using derivative and spectral deconvolution analyses.

This study establishes a methodology for identifying phytoplankton pigments from absorption and reflectance spectra by combining the derivative and spectral deconvolution methods and interpreting the results with knowledge of the distribution of the major light absorbing pigments. For achieving this objective several steps were performed: Firstly, the absorption peaks present in the spectra of different algal groups, measured in laboratory and in situ, were located through the derivative analysis; secondly, a combination of Gaussian-Lorentzian shaped bands, centered at these peaks, were fitted to the original spectra and finally, in situ absorption peaks were related to those of derivative reflectance spectra. Pigment analysis using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) provided the biological background for identifying these bands and peaks.

The results of this study show that the derivative method can successfully be used to identify pigments by their individual absorption peaks. A good agreement has been found between the original spectra and the reconstructed spectra which were Gaussian-Lorentzian combinations for laboratory and in vivo samples. Analysis of reflectance spectra through absorption spectra also showed promising results. As before, the pigment analysis by HPLC supported the biological interpretation of the bands.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 1996

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 460289
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/460289
PURE UUID: c35ee1d2-7924-408e-a8f1-9f8876f58608

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 18:18
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 18:18

Export record

Contributors

Author: Raúl Aguirre Gómez

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×