Measurements of phytoplankton of sub-nanomolar chlorophyll concentrations by a modified double-modulation fluorometer

A modification of the double-modulation fluorometer is described that allows measuring very dilute phytoplankton samples. The high sensitivity is achieved by increasing the sample volume and by collecting the fluorescence from the large volume by an integrating sphere. The sensitivity of the instrument increased approximately proportionally to the volume of the sample. A further improvement of the sensitivity was achieved by replacing the PIN photodiode of the earlier versions by a photomultiplier, The instrument was used to measure fluorescence induction, F-0 and F-m parameters, and Q(A)(-) reoxidation kinetics at concentrations at and below 100 pM chlorophyll.