Co-Chairs:
Dr. Elisabetta Canuti
EC-JRC, Italy
Crystal Thomas
Ocean Ecology Laboratory,
NASA, USA
Established: May 2024
Working Group Documents
- Presentation at IOCCG-30 (May 2026)
- Presentation at IOCCG-29 (April 2025)
- Working group proposal (2024)
Rationale
The analysis of Chlorophyll a and accessory pigments by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) provides valuable insights into phytoplankton community composition and assists with validation of satellite-derived ocean colour and phytoplankton pigment data. An updated protocol for the determination of Chlorophyll a and accessory pigments by HPLC will improve consistency and comparability of validation efforts across different research programs and regions through the standardization of HPLC pigment analysis practices.
Protocol Outline
- Sample Collection and Preservation
- Standardized sampling protocols across regions, oceanic basins, seasons, and environmental conditions to capture phytoplankton diversity.
- Sample preservation and storage conditions to ensure pigment integrity.
- Sample Processing and Pigment Extraction
- Sample preparation and disruption techniques.
- Extract preservation and handling prior to analysis.
- HPLC Analysis: Method Choice, Set-up and Validation
- HPLC methodology for the separation and quantification of chlorophyll a and accessory pigments.
- Instrument calibration and system suitability.
- Method validation
- Quality Assurance and Laboratory Performance
- Standard operating procedures and quality-control measures.
- Comparison and validation exercises to evaluate method/laboratory performance.
- Accreditation and/or compliance with relevant quality standards.
Members
- Elisabetta Canuti, EC-JRC, Italy
- Mikel Latasa, CSIC, Spain
- C. Rafael Mendes, FURG, Brazil
- Ilka Pekeen, AWI, Germany
- Josephine Ras, LOV-IMEV, France
- Louise Schlüter, DHI Laboratory Products, Denmark
- Koji Suzuki, Hokkaido University, Japan
- Crystal Thomas, NASA, USA
The 6th International Ocean Colour Science (IOCS) meeting was held in Darmstadt, Germany from 1 – 4 December 2025, hosted by EUMETSAT and ESA. All meeting material is available is on the archive webpage.