A User Guide for the Application of Single Turnover Active Chlorophyll Fluorescence for Phytoplankton Productivity Measurements. Version 1.

Abstract

This document represents the collective efforts of SCOR Working Group 156, ‘Active Chlorophyll Fluorescence for Autonomous Measurements of Global Marine Primary Productivity’. The group was established in 2019, bringing together researchers and instrument manufacturers from 10 countries and 5 continents, with the goal of developing standards of best practice for the application of single turnover active chlorophyll fluorescence (ST-ChlF) to examine phytoplankton productivity. We focused our efforts on single turnover methods, which are most commonly used in phytoplankton research, while recognizing that other approaches, including Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) fluorescence techniques, are also employed with macro-algae, corals and terrestrial plants. Over the past two years, our group has worked to build consensus around best practice for the collection, analysis and archiving of ST-ChlF data from a variety of aquatic environments. We aim to facilitate wide-spread use of ST-ChlF methods by the international research community, and have thus far focused our work on several key activities outlined in the Working Group’s terms of reference.