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Dependence of mean spectral extinction coefficient of phytoplankton on depth, water color, and species
Author(s) -
Atlas David,
Bannister T. T.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1980.25.1.0157
Subject(s) - irradiance , molar absorptivity , blue green algae , phytoplankton , algae , extinction (optical mineralogy) , environmental science , chemistry , mineralogy , cyanobacteria , biology , botany , physics , ecology , optics , nutrient , bacteria , genetics
From published absorption spectra of algae (green, blue‐green, and diatoms) and from published data describing spectral irradiance as a function of depth in blue, green, and blue‐green waters, values of the mean spectral extinction coefficient k̅ c (m 2 ·mg −1 Chl a ) of the algae were calculated. For all three algal types, k̅ c has nearly the same value (0.014±0.002) at the surface. For all three types, k̅ c increases with depth in blue water, decreases with depth in green water, and changes relatively little in blue‐green water. The largest variation occurs with the green alga, k̅ c ranging from 0.005 at depth in green water to 0.021 or more at depth in blue water.