Specific absorption coefficient of phytoplankton off the Southwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula: A contribution to algorithm development for ocean colour remote sensing

The variability in coefficients of absorption for phytoplankton was assessed for an area off the Southwest coast of Portugal. This area included three sites at 2, 10 and 18 km perpendicular to the coast, sampled at surface, mid-Secchi and Secchi depths at each site. Phytoplankton absorption coefficients were transformed into specific coefficients (a⁎ph(λ)) by normalizing them with respect to chlorophyll a (Chla) concentrations determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. The influence on the variability of the absorption coefficient of phytoplankton was assessed for physico-chemical and biological parameters such as nutrients or Chla levels, as well as size structure and abundance of the phytoplankton community. The results showed that the phytoplankton absorption coefficients decreased from inshore to offshore, but were relatively constant within the water column, revealing a well-mixed column. The a⁎ph(λ) varied inversely with Chla content, with minima in Autumn and Spring, matching phytoplankton blooms. The effects of the size structure of the community and pigment composition on the variability of phytoplankton absorption coefficient were studied and results showed that size structure had a greater influence on the variability of the phytoplankton absorption, although the pigment contribution was also important.