Development of a fibre optic sensor for the detection of harmful algae bloom and in particular domoic acid

Research into an early warning harmful algae bloom (HAB) sensing system for use in underwater monitoring applications is presented. The sensor proposed by the authors utilises principal component analysis (PCA) to establish the complex linkages between ocean colour, absorption and scattering, algae pigmentation and cell size, along with depth of bloom layers. The authors are proposing an optical fibre sensor based method of detecting the associated neurotoxins that cause harmful algal blooms. The sensing mechanism utilised in this system is based on a combination of absorption and reflection spectroscopy and principle component analysis (PCA) signal processing. Preliminary results are presented from the interrogation of chlorophyll, yeast and saline solutions.