A new approach to assess the phytoplankton biomass in Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve

In order to improve the water-quality monitoring program developed in the Danube Delta, during 2008 there was tested a new system for assessing the development of phytoplankton biomass. The present paper contains the preliminary data obtained with the use of a submersible spectrofluorometer, sampling sites being along the main branches of the Danube (Dunărea Veche, Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe), respectively various channels from the so-called “fluvial delta” – western half of the Danube Delta: Sontea, OlguŃa, Crisan, Litcov, Perivolovca channels and some smaller channels that are around the most relevant lakes of the Isac-Uzlina lake-complex.