Excitation spectra of living phytoplankton characterize the pigment composition of algal cells and energy transfer processes from accessory pigments to chlorophyll a (Chl a). Analyses of these spectra provide information about the spatial distribution of these pigments in different vertical and horizontal transects, and

enable the phytoplankton community situation in coastal and open-sea waters to be established. In order to study the trends of phytoplankton changes, quite a long time-series is needed. The spectrofluorometric studies are therefore being continued in order to determine the interannual variability and longer-term changes in the marine ecosystem of the archipelago (Cisek et al. 2010). The Fluo-imager M32 B flow-through spectrofluorometer measures visible APO866 chemical structure light excitation spectra and can be applied Everolimus datasheet to the fluorescent constituents of phytoplankton pigments. The excitation wavelength from 400 to 600 nm is scanned by the monochromator; emission is at 680 nm. The aim was to reveal the fluorescence of Chl a induced by accessory pigments. The Chl a fluorescence emission at 680 nm, observed at several excitation wavelengths

that are coincident with the accessory pigment absorption maximum, is treated as an indicator of the abundance of different phytoplankton pigments ( Poryvkina et al. 2000). The most important advantage of spectrofluorometric measurements is that the in vivo measurements of recent water samples on board ship and the data-processing are both carried out quite quickly. The concentration of absorbing

molecules can be calculated from the recorded excitation spectra of Chl a in seawater samples. The advantages and limitations of the application of fluorescence actively induced in living phytoplankton analysis are discussed. The focus is on making correct most predictions of pigment concentrations from fluorescence data. The results of the high resolution mapping of chlorophylls and phycobilins in the Nordic Seas during the summers of 2003 and 2006 are presented. Dynamic spatial maps of phytoplankton pigments were registered with a Fluo-Imager flow-through spectrofluorometer. Characteristic patterns of the phytoplankton distribution in the study area and their evolution in time are discussed. The schedule of the r/v ‘Oceania’ polar cruise included the Greenland and Iceland and Norwegian Seas, known as the Nordic Seas. Figure 1 shows a map of the stations where the optical and CTD measurements were carried out. Water samples were collected from the surface layer (from 0 to 0.5 m) using a special pail from on board ship. The samples were poured into the flow- through system of the Fluo-Imager that allows in vivo measurements of natural water, without prior sample preparation. Fluorescence excitation spectra of seawater samples were measured with a Fluo-Imager M32 B spectrofluorometer at one emission wavelength, 680 nm, at the halfwidth of the optical filter Δλ = 5 nm.