engleski

Distribution of chlorophyll a and pheopigments in the Northern Adriatic

Chlorophyll a (chl a) and its breakdown products, including chlorophyllide, pheophorbide, pyropheophorbide and 2 pheophytins, were determined in the northern Adriatic over a whole annual cycle during 2000 using reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Distribution of chl a was characterised by a typical seasonal pattern with pronounced maxima in spring and autumn, coinciding with phytoplankton blooms that developed in the surface layer after the major freshwater inputs by the North Italian rivers. The concentrations of chlorophyll a and its breakdown products in the western part of the basin were significantly higher than those in the eastern part, indicating a strong eutrophication pressure by the Po River. The composition of the pheopigments was rather variable, depending on the season and location, but in most of the situations chlorophyllide a was found to be the predominant product. The percentage of breakdown products in the total concentration of chlorophyll a strongly varied and was especially high during major diatom blooms.

chlorophyll a; phytoplankton; pheopigments; northern Adriatic

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