Marine Optics

Retrieval of phytoplankton size parameter from phytoplankton absorption spectra

Expand
  • 1. LED, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; 2. Graduate Univ. of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China

Received date: 2009-05-06

  Revised date: 2009-12-08

  Online published: 2010-03-23

Abstract

Data from three cruises conducted in the northern South China Sea (SCS), the Daya Bay and the Pearl River Estuary, respectively, were examined to access the variations of phytoplankton size structure. A spectral mixing model was established to retrieve phytoplankton size parameter from phytoplankton absorption spectra, with S as a proxy of the size parameter. There were significant similarities in phytoplankton size structure in the estuarine and coastal waters; however, it is very dif-ferent in the open ocean. In the estuarine and coastal waters, the micro-phytoplankton plays a dominant role, while in the open ocean the pico-phytoplankton was the dominant species. Phytoplankton size parameter tended to decrease with increasing micro-phytoplankton, and to increase with increasing pico-phytoplankton. There was an increasing trend for chlorophyll a concentration from the open ocean to the coastal sea. Phytoplankton size parameter showed a power function relation with chlorophyll a concentration and decreased with increasing chlorophyll a concentration. The results showed that there was a relationship between phytoplankton size parameter retrieved from the spectral mixing model and the bio-optical characteristics in different circumstances of the SCS. This spectral mixing model provided a simple tool for extracting ecological information of phytoplankton species from optical measurements, and can be used to analyze the influence of dominant phytoplankton size structure on optical characteristics.

Cite this article

LIANG Shao-jun,CAO Wen-xi,WANG Gui-fen,ZHOU Wen,ZHAO Jun,SUN Zhao- . Retrieval of phytoplankton size parameter from phytoplankton absorption spectra[J]. Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 2010 , 29(2) : 59 -64 . DOI: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2010.02.059

References

[1] 孙儒泳, 李庆芬, 牛翠娟, 等. 基础生态学[M]. 北京: 高等教育出版社, 2002: 191–192.

[2] 沈国英, 施并章. 海洋生态学[M]. 2版. 北京: 科学出版社, 2002: 39–42.

[3] HUANG BANG-QIN, HONG HUA–SHENG, WANG HAI-LI. Size-fractionated primary productivity and the phytoplankton hacteria relationship in the Taiwan Stait [J]. Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 1999, 183: 29–38.

[4] STOCKNER J G. Phototrophic picoplankton: An overview from marine and freshwater ecosystems[J]. Limnol Oeeanogr, 1988, 33: 765–775.

[5] TAKAHASHI M, BIENFANY P K. Size structure phyto-plankton biomass and photosynthesis in subtropical Hawaian waters[J].Mar Biol, 1983, 76: 203–2l1.

[6] DUYSENS L N M. The flattening of the absorption spectrum of suspensions as compared to that of solutions[J]. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1956, 19: 1–12.

[7] BRICAUD A, BABIN M, MOREL A, et al. Variability in the chlorophyll-specific absorption coefficients of natural phyto-plankton: Analysis and parameterization[J]. J Geophys Res, 1995, 100: 13321–13332.

[8] CLEVELAND J S. Regional models for phytoplankton ab-sorption as a function of chlorophyll a concentration[J]. J Geophys Res, 1995, 100: 13333–13344.

[9] CARDER K L, CHEN F R, LEE Z P, et al. Semianalytic moderate-resolution imaging spectrometer algorithms for chlorophyll a and absorption with bio-optical domains based on nitrate-depletion temperatures[J]. J Geophys Res, 1999, 104: 5403–5421.

[10] CARDER K L, HAWES S K, BAKER K A, et al. Reflec-tance model for quantifying chlorophyll a in the presence of productivity degradation products[J]. J Geophys Res, 1991, 96: 599–611.

[11] MITCHELL B G, HOLM-HANSEN O. Bio-optical proper-ties of Antarctic Peninsula waters: Differentiation from tem-perate ocean models[J]. Deep-Sea Res, 1991, 38: 1009–1028.

[12] MOBLEY C D, STRAMSKI D. Effects of microbial parti-cles on oceanic optics: Methodology for radiative transfer modeling and example simulations[J]. Limnol Oceanogr, 1997, 42: 550–560.

[13] STRAMSKI D, BRICAUD A, MOREL A. Modeling the inherent optical properties of the ocean based on the detailed composition of the planktonic community[J]. Appl Opt, 2001, 40: 2929–2945.

[14] CIOTTI A M. Influence of phytoplankton communities on relationships between optical properties of coastal surface waters[D]. Dalhousie University, Department of Oceanogra-phy, 1999: 468–475.

[15] SATHYENDRANATH S, COTA G, STUART V, et al. Re-mote sensing of phytoplankton pigments: A comparison of empirical and theoretical approaches[J]. Int J Remote Sens, 2001, 22: 249–273.

[16] BRICAUD A, CLAUSTRE H, RAS J, et al. Natural variabil-ity of phytoplanktonic absorption in oceanic waters: Influ-ence of the size structure of algal populations[J]. J Geophys Res, 2004, 109, C11010, doi; 10. 1029/2004JC002419.

[17] CIOTTI A M, LEWIS M R, CULLEN J J.  Assessment of the relationships between dominant ce11 size in natural phytoplankton communities and the spectral shape of the absorption coeficient[J]. Limnol Oceanogr, 2002, 47: 404–410.

[18] GAN JIANPING, LI LI, WANG DONGXIAO, et al. Interac-tion of a river plume with coastal upwelling in the northeast-ern South China Sea[J]. Continental Shelf Research, 2009, 29: 728–740.

[19] SHU YEQIANG, ZHU JIANG, WANG DONGXIAO, et al. Performance of four sea surface temperature assimilation schemes in the South China Sea[J]. Continental Shelf Re-search, 2009, 29: 1489–1501.

[20] WANG DONGXIAO, XU HONGZHOU, LIN JING, et al. Anticyclonic eddies in the northeastern South China Sea during winter 2003/2004[J]. Journal of Oceanography, 2008, 64(6): 925–935.

[21] 王桂芬, 曹文熙, 许大志, 等. 南海北部水体浮游植物比吸收系数的变化[J]. 热带海洋学报, 2005, 24(5): 1–10.

[22] CAO W EN-XI, YANG YU-ZHONG, LIU SHENG, et a1. Absorption coefficients of phytopIankton in relation to chlo-rophyll and remote sensing reflectance in the coastal waters of southern China[J]. Pro Nat Sci, 2005, 15(4): 342– 350.

[23] CAO WEN-XI, YANG YUE-ZHONG, XU XIAO-QIANG, et a1. Regional pattern s of particulate spectral absorption in the Pearl River estuary [J]. Chinese Science Bulletin, 2003, 48(21): 2344–2351.

[24] PARSONS T R, MAITA Y, LALLI C M. A Manual of Chemical and Biological Methods for Seawater Analysis[M]. Oxford: Pergam on Press•1984, 15: 138–144.

[25] 赵辉, 齐义泉, 王东晓, 等. 南海叶绿素浓度季节变化及空间分布特征研究[J]. 海洋学报, 2005, 27(4): 45–52.

[26] HONG B, WANG D. Sensitivity study of the seasonal mean circulation in the northern South China Sea[J]. Adv Atmos Sci, 2008, 25(5): 824–840.

Outlines

/