Portable and low-cost fluorometer for phytoplankton monitoring

Abstract

Phytoplankton monitoring using fluorescence spectroscopy techniques has been frequently used over time. This monitoring is based on the detection of the main photosynthetic pigment, chlorophyll-a, as its concentration is widely used as a proxy of phytoplankton biomass in the water column. However, the fluorometers available for their measurement and use in the field are still quite expensive and bulky, which limit its in-situ and widespread use. This paper presents the development of a low-cost, simple and portable device for measuring phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration at sea. The fabricated device revealed a good performance for measuring chlorophyll-a concentrations, from 0.1 up to 75 µg/L with potential for in-situ, real-time and long-term monitoring.