abstract
The photosynthetic pigment data obtained in the course of the South African SIBEX I Cruise to the Prydz Bay region is discussed with relevance to sampling and analytical problems and its ecological interpretation. The pigments were separated and quantified using reverse phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and the results showed that the pigment structure of both water column and ice algae were typical of Bacillariophycae. The results were compared with chlorophyll a determinations using the SCOR/UNESCO method but some technical differences made these critical comparisons difficult. Finally an optimized methodology is discussed for future work of this nature.