Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

PHYTOPLANKTON AND BIOMASS DISTRIBUTION AT POTENTIAL OTEC SITES

Conference ·
OSTI ID:970398
Net or large phytoplankton species composition and most phytoplankton abundance was measured at three OTEC sites. In the Gulf of Mexico and Hawaii, diatoms dominated while the blue-green algae Trichodesmium was most common at Puerto Rico. The species ratio of diatoms to dinoflagellates was approximately 1:1. The species diversity varied from site to site, Hawaii > Puerto Rico > Gulf of Mexico. Chlorophyll a, which is a measure of the pigment of all algae size ranges, showed a subsurface peak of 0.14-0.4 g per liter at 75 to 125 m. Occasional surface peaks up to 0.4 pg per liter occurred. Further refinement of collection techniques is needed to delineate the subtle environmental effects expected by OTEC plant discharges.
Research Organization:
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
Earth Sciences Division
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
970398
Report Number(s):
LBL-9054
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English