Nondestructive assessment of phytopigments in riverbed sediments by the use of instrumental color measurements

Purpose  

The quantification of phytopigments in riverbed sediments deserves further attention because it provides information about eutrophic levels, and therefore about sediment and water quality. Due to the current interest in the study of eutrophication processes, there is a need for the development of a rapid, simple, cost-effective, and nondestructive method of quantifying phytopigment content. We describe one method based on color measurements and without the need for extraction and chemical assay.