ABSTRACT
Assessment of the magnitude and variability, both spatial and temporal, of photoautotrophic community carbon-specific growth rates and carbon biomass in the ocean has been a central focus of oceanographic research. Ratios of parameters such as phytoplankton cell volume, or the concentration of chlorophyll a (chl a), particulate organic carbon or adenosine triphosphate, to carbon biomass (Cp) have been of value. Donald G. Redalje and E. A. Laws introduced a technique which provides accurate estimates of both μ and Cp, based on the incorporation of C into chl a. The technique has been applied in the field on numerous occasions, providing reasonable estimates of community μ and Cp. N. A. Welschmeyer and C. J. Lorenzen and E. A. Laws, one of the principal advantages of the labeled chl a technique is that determinations of μ are free of artifacts due to Zooplankton grazing in the incubation container.
