Chlorophyll a is a measure of phytoplankton biomass in the water column, or settled onto the sediment. It gives us a measure of high and low productivity regions. A comparison between chlorophyll a in the water column and the sediment can also inform us how tightly linked the pelagic and the benthic systems are. Chlorophyll a from seawater samples from CTD casts at multiple depths, as well as surface sediment samples from van Veen grabs, is determined fluorometrically. [AMBON scientist: Lee Cooper]
