News
Workshop for students at the University of Rijeka
On the 19th April 2024 the project principal investigator Žarko Kovač held a hands on workshop for the students of Environmental Physics at Faculty of Physics in Rijeka. The title of the workshop was Light and photosyntehsis in the sea.
As part of the workshop, the fundamental bio-optical models of photosynthesis in the sea were presented. The theory of light interaction with phytoplankton was explained, and the basic equations describing the relationship between available light and the rate of carbon assimilation during photosynthesis (primary production) were derived. The fundamental models were presented in both analytical and numerical forms. Students were then introduced to methods for measuring photosynthesis in the sea. They had the opportunity to work with in situ data from the Hawaii Ocean Time Series. The vertical structure of chlorophyll concentration and photosynthesis, as well as the time series of total chlorophyll concentration in the water column and primary production of the water column, were examined. By comparing models and measurements, the accuracy of the models was demonstrated, leading to a discussion on model development.
The workshop presentation can be downloaded here as well as the Juypter notebook with coding excersises.
