Experimental determination of reflectance spectra of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the Scotia Sea
Belcher, Anna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9583-5910; Fielding, Sophie
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3152-4742; Gray, Andrew; Biermann, Lauren; Stowasser, Gabriele
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0595-0772; Fretwell, Peter
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1988-5844; Ireland, Louise
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0960-0486; Tarling, Geraint A.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3753-5899.
2021
Experimental determination of reflectance spectra of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the Scotia Sea.
Antarctic Science, 33 (4).
402 -414.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102021000262
|
Text (Open Access)
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press. experimental-determination-of-reflectance-spectra-of-antarctic-krill-euphausia-superba-in-the-scotia-sea.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract/Summary
Antarctic krill are the dominant metazoan in the Southern Ocean in terms of biomass; however, their wide and patchy distribution means that estimates of their biomass are still uncertain. Most currently employed methods do not sample the upper surface layers, yet historical records indicate that large surface swarms can change the water colour. Ocean colour satellites are able to measure the surface ocean synoptically and should theoretically provide a means for detecting and measuring surface krill swarms. Before we can assess the feasibility of remote detection, more must be known about the reflectance spectra of krill. Here, we measure the reflectance spectral signature of Antarctic krill collected in situ from the Scotia Sea and compare it to that of in situ water. Using a spectroradiometer, we measure a strong absorption feature between 500 and 550 nm, which corresponds to the pigment astaxanthin, and high reflectance in the 600–700 nm range due to the krill's red colouration. We find that the spectra of seawater containing krill is significantly different from seawater only. We conclude that it is tractable to detect high-density swarms of krill remotely using platforms such as optical satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles, and further steps to carry out ground-truthing campaigns are now warranted.
Item Type: | Publication - Article |
---|---|
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102021000262 |
ISSN: | 0954-1020 |
Additional Keywords: | Antarctic krill; Euphausia superba, reflectance, remote sensing; South Georgia, South Orkney Islands |
Date made live: | 12 Jul 2021 14:27 +0 (UTC) |
URI: | https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530363 |
Actions (login required)
![]() |
View Item |
Document Downloads
Downloads for past 30 days
Downloads per month over past year