Nonlinear Relationships Between Particulate Absorption and Chlorophyll: Detritus or Pigment Packaging

Relationships for predicting phytoplanktonic absorption at 676 and 436 nm from chlorophyll alpha concentration have been developed for distinct geographic regions defined by latitude. The forms of the predictive equations are controlled by underlying biological mechanisms and lend insight into these...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cleveland, Joan S.
Other Authors: SAN DIEGO STATE UNIV CA CENTER FOR HYDRO-OPTICS AND REMOTE SENSING
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1993
Subjects:
Biochemistry
Biology
Biological Oceanography
*MARINE BIOLOGY
*PHYTOPLANKTON
*CHLOROPHYLLS
FUNCTIONS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
ENVIRONMENTS
FLUORESCENCE
PRODUCTION
PREDICTIONS
MODELS
TROPICAL REGIONS
LATITUDE
ARCTIC REGIONS
ABSORPTION COEFFICIENTS
PRODUCTION RATE
CELLS(BIOLOGY)
PIGMENTS
PARAMETERS
WATER
RATES
ACCURACY
NONLINEAR OPTICS
QUADRATIC EQUATIONS
PATTERNS
PIGMENT PACKAGING
Arctic
Phytoplankton
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA266806
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA266806
Description
Summary:Relationships for predicting phytoplanktonic absorption at 676 and 436 nm from chlorophyll alpha concentration have been developed for distinct geographic regions defined by latitude. The forms of the predictive equations are controlled by underlying biological mechanisms and lend insight into these mechanisms. Development of these region-specific models allows prediction of phytoplanktonic absorption from more easily measured parameters such as chlorophyll alpha concentration or in situ fluorescence and increases accuracy in modelling optical properties or primary production rate using specific absorption coefficients. Temperate and tropical regions exhibited nearly identical relationships at low chlorophyll so these regions were combined and treated as one. Subpolar waters displayed a distinct pattern and were defined as a separate region. Linear relationships between phytoplanktonic absorption and chlorophyll a concentration in the subpolar region indicated that influences of pigment packaging on phytoplankton specific absorption coefficients were relatively constant and uncoupled from water column chlorophyll a concentration. Nonlinear relationships between phytoplanktonic absorption and chlorophyll a concentration for the combined temperate/tropical region suggested that pigment packing effects were important and variable. The steepness of the relationship at low chlorophyll supported the concept of low pigment packaging effects (thus high absorption per chlorophyll a) in oligotrophic, low chlorophyll a waters.

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