An Unusual Chlorophyll a Derivative in Tropical             Phytoplankton:  Artifact or Real?
{'Code': '06040301', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'GEO', 'LongName': 'Directorate For Geosciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'OCE', 'LongName': 'Division Of Ocean Sciences'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Phillip R. Taylor', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
A derivative of chlorophyll has been detected in tropical North            Atlantic and North Pacific in recent years.  This is significant because        the derivative was found in concentrations equal or higher to                   chlorophyll a.  The derivative also has similar optical characteristics         and thus this finding may alter our interpretation of chlorophyll as a          biomass marker.  This support will enable Dr. Vernet to isolate,                identify and begin a preliminary characterization of this chlorophyll a         derivative by using a combination of techniques.  These include; high           performance liquid chromatography, absorption and fluorescence spectra,         and high resolution mass spectrometry.  Accessory pigments associated           with the chlorophyll derivative will be estimated by chromatography and         in vivo fluorescence spectra.  Also, the photosynthetic activity of the         plankton fraction rich in this chlorophyll derivative will be determined        using in vivo fluorescence excitation spectra and 14C labeled                   chlorophyll.  The combination of these methods should establish the             authenticity of this altered chlorophyll in marine phytoplankton and its        activity with respect to chlorophyll a.                                              Microscopic plants suspended in the surface layer of the ocean are         responsible for most of the ocean's biological production, and these            plants contain pigments for absorbing sunlight just as their terrestrial        counterparts do.  Pigments such as chlorophyll a have long been used to         quantify marine phytoplankton through direct chemical analysis of the           chlorophyll present in a given body of water.  Dr. Vernet will                  investigate an unusual pigment that has been discovered in tropical             water that is chemically similar to chlorophyll a.  Because chlorophyll         a is used extensively to estimate plant biomass in biological                   oceanography, the potential impact of this recently discovered pigment          on our interpretation of surface ocean biology is substantial.  Through         chemical and biological studies in association with a recognized expert         in the field, (Dr. W. Gieskes), Dr. Vernet will determine if this               unusual pigment can also be used as an indicator of plant biomass.  Dr.         Vernet is very qualified to carry out this study and significant benefit        to our understanding of plant pigments in ocean water will result.
{'FirstName': 'Maria', 'LastName': 'Vernet', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Maria Vernet', 'EmailAddress': 'mvernet@ucsd.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000066851', 'StartDate': '01/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of California-San Diego Scripps Inst of Oceanography', 'CityName': 'LA JOLLA', 'ZipCode': '920931500', 'PhoneNumber': '8585341293', 'StreetAddress': '8622 DISCOVERY WAY # 116', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'California', 'StateCode': 'CA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '50', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'CA50', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'QJ8HMDK7MRM3', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': 'QJ8HMDK7MRM3'}
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{'Code': '1650', 'Text': 'BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY'}
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