Optical proxy for phytoplankton biomass in the absence of photophysiology: Rethinking the absorption line height

Abstract

The pigment absorption peak in the red waveband observed in phytoplankton and particulate absorption spectra is primarily associated with chlorophyll-$a$ and exhibits much lower pigment packaging compared to the blue peak. The minor contributions to the signature by accessory pigments can be largely removed by computing the line height absorption at 676 nm above a linear background between approximately 650 nm and 715 nm. The line height determination is also effective in removing the contributions to total or particulate absorption by colored dissolved organic matter and non-algal particles, and is relatively independent of the effects of biofouling. The line height absorption is shown to be significantly related to the extracted chlorophyll concentration over a large range of natural optical regimes and diverse phytoplankton cultures. Unlike the in situ fluorometric method for estimating chlorophyll, the absorption line height is not sensitive to incident irradiance, in particular non-photochemical quenching. The combination of the two methods provides a combination of robust phytoplankton biomass estimates, pigment based taxonomic information and a means to estimate the photosynthetic parameter, $E_K$, the irradiance at which photosynthesis transitions from light limitation to light saturation.