Abstract
Fluorometric determination of chlorophyll a and pheopigments was carried out in the sea area off southern Japan. Maximum concentration of chlorophyll pigments was determined to be at or below the lower limit of the euphotic zone, namely from 50 to 150 m depth. To estimate the activity of phytoplankton in this maximum chlorophyll layer, changes of chlorophyll concentration and number of cells were measured in samples taken from this layer before and after exposure to different light intensities. It was concluded that the growth of shade-adapted phytoplankton and the deterioration of chlorophyll pigments by light are the main factors causing the chlorophyll maximum to occur in a rather deep oceanic layer.
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Communicated by M. Anraku, Nagasaki
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Saijo, Y., Iizuka, S. & Asaoka, O. Chlorophyll maxima in Kuroshio and adjacent area. Mar. Biol. 4, 190–196 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393892
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393892