HPLC pigment analysis of marine phytoplankton during a red tide occurrence in Tolo Harbour,Hong Kong

A red tide was detected in the inner parts of Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong, in November 2000. Water samples were collected from a fixed station at the centre of the red tide patch for microscopic analysis of phytoplankton community composition and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of phytoplankton pigments. At the peak of the red tide on 24 November 2000, phytoplankton was dominated by the dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea. The red tide began to decline at the end of November and, by 1 December 2000, the phytoplankton was dominated by diatoms. Chlorophylls and carotenoids in water samples were analysed using HPLC pigment separation technique. Dinoflagellates were indicated by the signature pigment peridinin. Significant correlation (r=0.999) was found between the peridinin concentration and dinoflagellate density. A decrease in peridinin and an increase in fucoxanthin, a major carotenoid in diatoms, marked the shift in phytoplankton composition at the end of the red tide. HPLC analysis also revealed the occurrence of minor phytoplankton groups that are difficult to identify by light microscopy. Red tide monitoring and study of red tide dynamics in Hong Kong have been based on cell counting and spectrophotometric or fluorometric measurement of chlorophyll a. HPLC pigment analysis provides an effective alternative for investigating phytoplankton dynamics during red tide and other algal blooms.