| Most existing ocean color algorithms use empirical radiance ratios or radiative transfer simulations to estimate the concentration of chlorophyll. Such algorithms treat phytoplankton as a single optical component whose optical properties are often modeled as a simple function of chlorophyll. Thus, the algorithm is unable to retrieve any taxonomic information from using the algorithm. Not only chlorophyll concentration but also the taxa-specific auxiliary pigments, size distributions, shape, and structure can change water-leaving radiance.; The integrated efforts of phytoplankton modeling and radiative transfer simulations are emphasized. In the advanced phytoplankton modeling, chromo protein compound effect, package effects are counted and the Ketteler-Helmholtz theory is used to estimate the real part of the complex refractive index. Various spherical and nonspherical models are used. In phytoplankton modeling examples, measurements of absorption and scattering cross-sections were predicted to the fine details and trends at absolute magnitude level using optimal electromagnetic scattering model. Also the computed water-leaving radiances from various combinations of phytoplankton components demonstrate strong possibility of isolating spectral features unique to specific taxa. |
