Abstract
Chlorophyll and its breakdown product contents were determined by both high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the fluorimetric method in surface microlayer and related bulk water samples collected in the western Mediterranean Sea. Differences in chlorophyll α measurements between the two methods are enhanced in highly loaded organic matter water samples such as surface microlayers. In several samples, pheophytins, which are commonly reported to be present in surface microlayers, were detected by the fluorimetric method, but not by HPLC. In most cases, the accumulation processes of pigments can be recorded in surface microlayers, but with small differences in pigment composition when compared with that of related bulk waters. Enrichment factors for chlorophyll are often higher than those of its degradation products. On the other hand, the low reported values of phytoneustonic productivity provide evidence for an inhibition of phytoplankton organisms transported to the sea-air interface; these organisms should be stressed but alive. These results also support the hypothesis that pigments could be actively photo-oxidized by the high level of solar radiation prevailing in surface microlayers.
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