Project: Phytoplankton & Ultraviolet Light
Mentors: Dr.Oscar Schofield and Dr. Yu Alice Gao
Participants: MadelynAsperas (NY),Andre Clayman (NC),Zoraida Colon (NY), Valerie Baker (CA), Alex Bodha(NY),Shelly Crow (TX), DavidDuane (MA), and Dianne Mollica(VA).

Abridged Phytoplankton Glossary [supplemented by ETE ]

Algae bloom- anarea where highly concentrated Phytoplankton are breeding happily.Their pigmentation help to identify their species and indicates an approximate biomass.
Aerosol- suspended solid or liquid particle less than 100 µm in diameter.
Albedo- percentage of solar radiation reflected back to space by the earth-atmosphere

Chlorofluorocarbon(CFC)- chemical compounds containing chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. The term is sometimes used to include chlorocarbons, fluorocarbons,and hydrochlorofluorocarbons.
Coriolis force- an apparent force acting on a fluid (air or water) in motion on the rotating Earth. It causes the fluid to turn to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. There is no Coriolis effect at the Equator.
Fluorescence-
Global Warming-an increase in the average worldwide temperature primarily caused by fossil fuel burning and an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Halons- Chemicals similar to CFCs, but containing bromine. These are used for fire suppression. They contribute to ozone damage in the upper atmosphere.
Mid-Atlantic Bight- a large area of the Western Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the US East Coast and bounded by Cape Cod to the north, Cape Hatteras to the south, and extending offshore to 70W Longitude
In vivo- within a cell

Ocean Sink-a natural gigantic [ Most of our Earth is covered by water.] water buffer which absorbs a significant amount of carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere.
Ozone- an allotrope or form of oxygen containing three rather than two oxygen atoms.
Ozone Depletion-an erosion of the protective ozone atmospheric level, which may cause a hole through which harmful UV radiation from the sun can cause skin cancer,eye cataracts, inhibit plant growth, and damage the immune system in animals.
Ozone depleting gases- include Halons, CFCs, and several other chemicals which in the presence of the sun's ultraviolet light, participate in chemical reactions that release chlorine and deplete the ozone layer.
Phytoplankton-food-making plant organisms, at the bottom of the oceanic food chain.
Polar orbiter-a satellite in a low orbit (450 to 600 miles) above Earth's surface which passes close to the poles in its orbit.
Sink- a long-time repository for a substance. Oceans are sinks for methyl bromide, for example.
Radiometry - - the detection or measurement of electromagnetic radiation
Red tides - large concentrations of phytoplankton which impart a color to coastal waters. Some of these algal species can be toxic to fish population and even mammals, including humans.

SeaWIFS-remote sensing instrument which became active on August 1,1997. It produces ocean color (phytoplankton) data, which are used to measure the productivity of the global ocean.
Spectroscopy-study of spectra, especially optical spectra, which are graphs depicting the continuum of wavelengths of light
Stratosphere-In this region of the atmosphere, ozone protects us from harmful Ultraviolet Radiation
Troposphere-an atmospheric region closer to Earth than the Stratosphere.Ozone in the troposphere can damage lung tissue and plants.[ Troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere. Almost all weather occurs in this layer.Its average depth is 11 km.]
Ultraviolet Radiation-any of UV-a, UV-b, or UV-c bands of sunlight.- Solar radiation with wavelengths less than that of visible light. The usual range given is 200 to 380 nm.
UV-B- the type of UV radiation which causes most of the damage to plants and animals
Upwelling-when warm water along our coast moves away from the shore, and cold, nutrient-rich water from beneaths comes to the surface
Zooplankton- the microscopic animals which feed on Phytoplankton.