A chronology of the horizontal and vertical distribution of phytoplankton pigment biomass provides a biological life history of Gulf Stream warm-core ring 82B. Development of ring 82B is followed through three distinct periods; a winter/early spring period of deep convective overturn with uniform and relatively high pigment concentration to depths of 400 m. a late spring stratification period with subsurface (20--30 m) pigment maxima and relatively high ring center values compared to surrounding waters, and a Gulf Stream interaction period when ring characteristics are dominated by intrusions of low pigment concentration waters. While the ring maintains a unique identify throughout these periods of its life, prolonged deep vertical mixing as well as episodic interactions with its surroundings have a significant influence on pigment distributions within the ring. These interactions generally enhance pigment biomass compared to the water mass from which it is derived. A consistent feature of pigment distribution is the remarkable coherence between this measure of phytoplankton biomass and the corresponding physical hydrodynamic structure of the upper water column.