Patent ID: 8367369

Claim:
A method of determining the amount of phycocyanin-pigmented algae or bacteria in water from light reflected therefrom, said method comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a measurement of reflected light from said water, using a light measurement device, said measurement comprising a measurement of the respective amounts of light in at least two of the following wavelength ranges: (i) from about 0.45 μm to about 0.52 μm (ii) from about 0.63 μm to about 0.69 μm; (iii) from about 0.76 μm to about 0.90 μm; (iv) from about 1.55 μm to about 1.75 μm and (v) from about 2.08 μm to about 2.35 μm; and (b) determining the amount of said phycocyanin-pigmented algae or bacteria in said water from said respective amounts of light by applying an algorithm, using a microprocessor, relating said respective amounts of light in said at least two of said wavelength ranges to said amount of said phycocyanin-pigmented algae or bacteria in said water, and wherein said algorithm comprises a quantitative relationship between the ratio of the amount of light in a first of said wavelength ranges to the amount of light in a second of said wavelength ranges, and the amount of said phycocyanin-pigmented algae or bacteria in said water.