Spectral effects in bio-optical control on the ocean system

The influence of phytoplankton on the spectral structure of the submarine irradiance field is reviewed. The implications for the ocean system of the spectral response by phytoplankton to the ambient light field are discussed. For example, it provides the basis for retrieval of phytoplankton biomass by visible spectral radiometry (ocean-colour remote sensing). In the computation of primary production, the results of spectral models differ in a known and systematic manner from those of non-spectral ones. The bias can be corrected without risk of incurring additional random errors. The models in use for phytoplankton growth, whether based on available light or absorbed light, whether expressed in terms of chlorophyll or carbon, are shown all to conform to the same basic formalism with the same parameters. Residual uncertainty lies less with the models than with the parameters required for their implementation. The submarine light The complete text of the paper is available at http://www.iopan.gda.pl/oceanologia/