Compact low-cost detector for in vivo assessment of microphytobenthos using laser induced fluorescence
Abstract
The development of a compact low-cost detector for non-destructive assessment of microphytobenthos using laser induced fluorescence was described. The detector was built from a specially modified commercial miniature fiber optic spectrometer (Ocean Optics USB4000). Its usefulness is experimentally verified by the study of diatom-dominated biofilms inhabiting the upper layers of intertidal sediments of the Tagus Estuary, Portugal. It is demonstrated that, operating with a laser emitter producing 30 mJ pulses at the wavelength of 532 nm, the detector is capable to record fluorescence signals with sufficient intensity for the quantitative biomass characterization of the motile epipelic microphytobenthic communities and to monitor their migratory activity. This paves the way for building an entire emitter-detector LIF system for microphytobenthos monitoring, which will enable microalgae communities occupying hardly accessible intertidal flats to be monitored in vivo at affordable cost.
- Publication:
-
Optics and Spectroscopy
- Pub Date:
- March 2013
- DOI:
- 10.1134/S0030400X13030259
- Bibcode:
- 2013OptSp.114..471U