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The change in optimal quantum efficiency (F-v/F-m) of the Arctic species Laminaria saccharina and Palmaria palmata was investigated in a long-term experiment in situ under different radiation levels during the summer of 1997 in the Kongsfjord (Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen, Norway, 78 degrees 55.5'N, 11 degrees 56.0'E). Whole plants were incubated in an open box system made of UV-transparent Perspex and exposed to solar radiation (lambda > 295 nm), solar radiation excluding UVB (lambda > 320 nm) and solar radiation excluding UVA + UVB (lambda > 400 nm). Increasing radiation levels were simulated by transplantation of the pre-adapted algae from their growth depth at 2 m to a water depth of 1 m. Sensitivity to artificially increased UV radiation was determined by exposure of algae from the three treatments to 6 h of strong UV radiation. P. palmata was relatively insensitive to increasing UV radiation and recovered very fast and almost completely in 2 h. Even plants pre- cultured in ambient radiation levels excluding UVA + UVB or UVB only showed no photoinhibition after exposure to extra UV radiation in the laboratory. L. saccharina was, in comparison to P. palmata, more sensitive and showed photoinhibition under solar radiation and solar minus UVB radiation after transplantation from 2 to Im water depth. However, after 3 weeks at 1 m depth, F-v/F-m of L. saccharina was equal in all treatments and restored to the original values at the start of the experiment. Sensitivity to extra UV radiation in the laboratory increased in time, although recovery was also fast and occurred within 20 h. [KEYWORDS: Life-history stages; chlorophyll fluorescence ultraviolet-radiation; solar-radiation; marine macroalgae; oxygen production; b radiation; photoinhibition; algae; ozone]

This work assessed the suitability of hyperspectral data for estimating mudflat surface characteristics related to stability. Due to the inaccessibility of intertidal areas, precise ground-based measurements of mudflat stability are difficult to conduct. Remote sensing can provide full spatial coverage and non-intrusive measurement. As stability changes on mudflats are linked to subtle differences in mudflat surface characteristics, they can potentially be mapped by hyperspectral data. Hyperspectral images were collected along with near contemporary ground measurements. An unsupervised classification gave a map which confirmed that a channel bar was mainly sand whereas soft mud dominated an adjacent embayment. Multiple regression analysis was used to relate surface characteristics to hyperspectral data to construct regression equations. Erosion shear stress was estimated directly from the hyperspectral data and also by a relationship with the surface characteristics. The results of the thematic class map matched well with the known situation at the site during image acquisition. The maps of surface characteristics highlighted the additional information that can be extracted from hyperspectral data. Stability maps, based on the erosion shear stress, can be used as a basis for predicting the likely future behaviour in this dynamic environment and will be of use for coastal zone management.

Part Two: Daily Patterns of Growth in Culture and Lake.-- 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, The photosynthesis of plankton sampled from the eutrophic Lake Loosdrecht was studied in Laboratory Scale Enclosures (LSEs) with regard to the rate of mixing. First, two LSEs were operated at different mixing rates. No significant differences in photosynthetic performance were found, with the exception of a depressed photosynthesis in the afternoon in the LSE which had a low mixing rate. Secondly, when mixing was stopped, the phytoplankton which stayed in the dark due to the steep light gradient in the LSE responded by changing its maximal photosynthetic capacity. The results show that the filamentous cyanobacteria in the lake can respond rapidly to changes in the depth of the mixed layer by altering their photosynthetic performance. © 1992 Kluwer Academic Publishers