Collaborative Research: Advanced Laser Fluorometer (ALF) for in vivo Characterization of Phytoplankton Pigments, Physiology and Community Structure

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Funding was provided to enable the PIs to move to the next phase in of a long-term effort to develop Advanced Laser Fluorescence (ALF) technology for measurements of key bio-geochemical variables and phytoplankton community structure in a range of marine environments from different platforms. The approach builds upon recent advances in laser and sensor technology that have recently resulted in several new developments, including the laser airborne sensors and the compact ALF-1 fluorometer for bio-environmental estuarine characterization. The ALF-2 development will provide high-resolution shipboard underway flow-through measurements and sample analyses over a range of spatial and temporal scales. To guide the technology evolution and provide new information to interdisciplinary ocean observations, ALF technology will be integrated into the process studies and the operational monitoring of the California Current Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research (NSF), California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI, NOAA), Microbial Observatory program (NSF) and evaluated for the Harmful Algal Bloom program (NOAA). Broader ImpactsThe AFL-2 could become a valuable tool in bio-optics and phytoplankton ecology if validated and made available to the research community. It could also become an important teaching tool in the lab. The proposal includes training of two postdoctoral researchers and support for undergraduate research.