FOR ALL HUMANKIND...Caring for the Oceans

Plankton are simple forms of plants that are the major source of food for ocean animals. Like other plants, plankton feed themselves through the process of photosynthesis. Fueled by the energy of sunlight, they use chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide and water into a simple, sugary food. In plankton and other marine life, chlorophyll gives off a natural glow during photosynthesis.

Plankton is the bottom of the food chain in the ocean. They are eaten by tiny marine animals, who in turn are eaten by other animals. Like other plants, plankton gives off oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Much of the world’s oxygen comes from plankton. So, it is important for the whole world that we take care of our oceans.

One of the ways scientists check the health of the oceans is to measure the amount of plankton in a given area. They do this by measuring the amount of glow (fluorescence) given off by plankton.

Under a NASA contract, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. (BSI) developed a new type of fluorometer. This instrument measures light patterns in the ocean, and also measures the amount of glow given off by plankton and other marine life as they digest their meals of sunlight.

The BSI model is better than older models in that it is less expensive, does not disturb (stir up) the little critters, and can be used at the site, rather than taking samples from their natural environment.

The BSI fluorometer has also been used in waters ranging from the North and South Poles to the tropical waters of the South Pacific. The diver shown above is using the BSI instrument to measure the natural fluorescence of coral during the Cousteau Project Ocean Search off of Fiji.

NASA also funded the development of a fluorometer by the Environmental Monitoring Systems Division of MillWest Corporation, Dumas, Texas. Their model is towed by a ship through an area of ocean that is also being looked at by satellite instruments.