Abstract

CAMPOS-GONZALEZ, Mauricio; VARGAS CASTELLANOS, Julián Roberto; FRANCO-HERRERA, Andrés  and  MEDINA CALDERON, Jairo Humberto. DISTRIBUTION OF CHLOROPHYLL A IN WATERS ADJACENT TO THE ISLANDS OF OLD PROVIDENCE AND SANTA CATALINA COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN. Bol. Invest. Mar. Cost. [online]. 2011, vol.40, n.2, pp.347-360. ISSN 0122-9761.

In order to determine the concentration and distribution of the phytoplankton biomass in waters of the islands of Old Providence and Santa Catalina, Colombian Caribbean a survey with 47 superficial samples, 12 in the whole water column, was carried out in 2005. Physicochemical parameters varied through the year; temperature fluctuated between 25 and 30 °C, salinity between 28 and 39, and pH between 8.30 and 9.65. Chlorophyll a and phaeopigment a concentrations were low, a characteristic of oligotrophic oceanic areas; chlorophyll a presented an average of 0.198±0.017 µg/L and 0.693±0.149 µg/L for dry and rainy seasons, while the phaeopigment a had a value below 0.01 µg/L in both seasons. It was found that the phytoplanktonic community is young and with an elevated renovation rate.

Keywords : Phytoplankton biomass; Chlorophyll a; Old Providence and Santa Catalina islands; Colombian Caribbean.

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