CARBON DIOXIDE  MANIPULATION EXPERIMENTS IN THE LABORATORY

Thalassiosira weissflogii (a diatom species) was grown under three different CO2 environments: 150 ppm (pre-industrial concentrations), 400 ppm (present day), and 800 ppm (end of the century prediction).

• Phytoplankton biomass and growth rates were monitored over time by taking samples for in vivo chlorophyll a measurements and cell counts using FlowCAM®
• Changes in absorption spectra of pigments were examined using a spectrophotometer
• Changes in the photosynthetic capacity of the cells were examined using a Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometer (FRRF)