articleJournal of Geophysical Research AtmospheresAug 1, 2006BRONZE OA

Vertical distribution of phytoplankton communities in open ocean: An assessment based on surface chlorophyll

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche · +1 more institution

Indexed incrossref

Abstract

The present study examines the potential of using the near‐surface chlorophyll a concentration ([Chl a ] surf ), as it can be derived from ocean color observation, to infer the column‐integrated phytoplankton biomass, its vertical distribution, and ultimately the community composition. Within this context, a large High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) pigment database was analyzed. It includes 2419 vertical pigment profiles, sampled in case 1 waters with various trophic states (0.03–6 mg Chl a m −3 ). The relationships between [Chl a ] surf and the chlorophyll a vertical distribution, as previously derived by Morel and Berthon (1989), are fully confirmed. This agreement makes it possible to go further…

No related works found for this paper.

Funding