VARIATION IN DCMU-ENHANCED FLUORESCENCE RELATIVE TO CHLOROPHYLL A: CORRELATION WITH THE BROWN TIDE BLOOM1

DCMU–enhanced fluorescence and extracted chlorophyll a were simultaneously measured in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island and the MERL (Marine Ecosystems Research Laboratory) mesocosms during the 1985 brown tide bloom. Marked differences in the relationship between these variables were observed as the phytoplankton community shifted from dominance by picoalgae to diatoms. The fluorescence to chlorophyll a ratio was significantly (P< 0.05) higher in the mesocosms and the bay when the brown tide species (Aureococcus anophagefferens Hargraves et Sieburth) dominated the phytoplankton community compared with other taxa. Although several factors could have affected the relationship we believe the high ratios are related to the pigment composition and/or small size of the brown tide organism.