Abstract
Variability of solar‐induced (natural) fluorescence and chlorophyll were measured on scales of hours to weeks in the upper layer of a cyclonic eddy located south of the Antarctic Polar Front using a free‐floating drifter. The fluorescence signal was analyzed both in terms of chlorophyll concentration and as an indicator of energy distribution in the photosynthetic apparatus. Long‐term trends in fluorescence parallel changes in chlorophyll concentration. Considering a significant positive correlation between fluorescence and the relative depth of the eddy upper layer we hypothesize that the observed short‐term variations in natural fluorescence are a physiological response of phytoplankton to changes in the supply of limiting nutrients. This interpretation is consistent with the Southern Ocean iron limitation hypothesis.
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