The use of equivalent size distributions of natural phytoplankton assemblages for optical modeling

The effective cell size is expected to be one of the principal causes of variability in the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of a phytoplankton population. However, establishing simple size descriptors is complicated by the typically complex particle size distributions of natural phytoplankton assemblages. This study compares the use of measured and equivalent particle size distributions on the modeled IOPs of a wide range of natural phytoplankton assemblages. It demonstrates that several equivalent size distributions, using simple parameterizations of complex size distributions based on the effective radius or diameter, are capable of modeling phytoplankton IOPs with sufficient accuracy for further use in marine bio-optical models. The results offered here are expected to be of use in bio-optical studies of phytoplankton dynamics e.g. harmful algal bloom oriented inverse reflectance models.