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Phytoplankton size class derived from phytoplankton absorption and chlorophyll-a concentrations in the northern South China Sea

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Abstract

A previously developed model was modified to derive three phytoplankton size classes (micro-, nano-, and pico-phytoplankton) from the overall chlorophyll-a concentration, assuming that each class has a specific absorption coefficient. The modified model performed well using in-situ data from the northern South China Sea, and the results were reliable and accurate. The relative errors of the size-fractioned chlorophyll-a concentration for each size class were: micro-: 21%, nano-: 41%, pico-: 26%, and nano+pico: 23%. The model was then applied on ocean color remote sensing data to examine the distribution and variation of phytoplankton size classes in northern South China Sea on a large scale.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China

    Guoqing Wang  (王国青), Wenxi Cao  (曹文熙), Guifen Wang  (王桂芬) & Wen Zhou  (周雯)

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Guoqing Wang  (王国青)

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  1. Guoqing Wang  (王国青)
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  2. Wenxi Cao  (曹文熙)
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  3. Guifen Wang  (王桂芬)
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  4. Wen Zhou  (周雯)
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Correspondence to Wenxi Cao  (曹文熙).

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U0933005, 41076014, 40906021, 41176035) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2007AA092001-02)

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Wang, G., Cao, W., Wang, G. et al. Phytoplankton size class derived from phytoplankton absorption and chlorophyll-a concentrations in the northern South China Sea. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 31, 750–761 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-013-2291-z

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