Progress in developing a new detection method for the harmful algal bloom species, Karenia brevis, through multiwavelength spectroscopy

Multiwavelength spectroscopy is a rapid analytical technique that can be applied to detect, identify, and quantify microorganisms such as Karenia brevis, the species known for frequent red-tide blooms in Florida’s coastal waters. This research will report on a model-based interpretation of UV–vis spectra of K. brevis. The spectroscopy models are based on light scattering and absorption theories, and the approximation of the frequency-dependant optical properties of the basic constituents of living organisms. Absorption and scattering properties of K. brevis, such as cell size/shape, internal structure, and chemical composition, are shown to predict the spectral features observed in the measured spectra. The parameters for the interpretation model were based upon both reported literature values, and experimental values obtained from live cultures and pigment standards. Measured and mathematically derived spectra were compared to determine the adequacy of the model, contribute new spectral information, and to establish the proposed spectral interpretation approach as a new detection method