Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

PC02 Optical Studies in Aquatic Ecosystems

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Location: Southwest Hall

Haddock, S, H, MBARI, 7700 Sandholdt Rd, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA, haddock@mbari.org

Moline, M, A, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA, mmoline@calpoly.edu

Herren, C, M, MSI, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA,

Heine, E, L, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA,

Bellingham, J, G, MBARI, 7700 Sandholdt Rd., Moss Landing, CA , USA,

Case, J, F, MSI, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA,

AUV-MEASURED DISTRIBUTION OF BIOLUMINESCENCE IN A COASTAL ENVIRONMENT

In the Monterey Bay during the late summer of 2000, we measured bioluminescence, along with a suite of physical, optical, and biological parameters. The main sampling device was an Odyssey-class autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) equipped with a bathyphotometer, fluorometer, CTD and OBS. Concurrent sampling was conducted with profiling packages to measure optical parameters (bioluminescence, absorption, scattering, attenuation, fluorescence, OBS) and to sample zooplankton and phytoplankton at discrete depths. During nearshore deployments, bioluminescence was dominated by a bloom of dinoflagellates, which appeared as a subsurface peak in both AUV and profiling data. Further offshore there was a marked change to predominantly zooplankton sources. We will discuss these results, as well as the primary correlative factors useful for predicting the distribution of bioluminescence in the sea.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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