Evaluation of the performance of HPLC-CHEMTAX analysis for determining phytoplankton biomass and composition in a turbid estuary (Schelde, Belgium)

International audience ; In the upper Schelde estuary in 2002, phytoplankton biomass and community composition were studied using microscopic and pigment analyses. Chlorophyll a concentration was a good predictor of phytoplankton biomass estimated from cell counts and biovolume measurements. The phytoplankton carbon to chlorophyll a ratio, however, was often unrealistically low (<10). CHEMTAX was used to estimate the contribution of the major algal groups to total chlorophyll a. The dominant algal groups were diatoms and chlorophytes. While diatom equivalents in chlorophyll a predicted diat... Mehr ...