9561010 Fernandez This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Project will develop a novel in situ fluorescence lifetime-based sensor for determination of small-scale phytoplankton distribution and physiological status. A method will be developed to determine phytoplankton physiological status from determination of cholorophyll a fluorescence lifetimes, and an inexpensive, rugged, compact instrument will be designed to implement the method in situ. Lifetime sensing will be performed using phase fluorometry. The instrument implementation is based on the use of a cross-correlation method using a modulated light-emitting diode (LED) as a light source and digital data acquisition an analysis. A resolution of the order of 10 ps will permit accurate determination of cholorophyll fluorescence lifetime changes that are know to occur under various physiological conditions. This may be the first oceanographic phytoplankton sensor to exploit fluorescence lifetime sensing. Potential commercial applications range from oceanographic sensing to laboratory research. Potential markets include plant nursery, breeding, tissue culture, plant genetic engineering, on -line process analysis in bioreactors, and aquaculture.
