Development of an alternative empirical relationship and parameters to model the absorption coefficient of phytoplankton in Singapore waters
Ryan Tan1*, Amihan Yson Manuel1, Sandric C. Y. Leong2, and Soo Chin Liew1

1Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, National University of Singapore, Singapore
2Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Abstract

The presence of phytoplankton contributes significantly to ocean color, and their abundance makes them the largest and most important primary producers in the ocean. Through photosynthesis, phytoplankton are responsible for most of the transfer of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean, serving as a natural carbon sink. The absorption coefficient of phytoplankton is also directly linked to the concentration of chlorophyll-a in the ocean, which is an important water quality parameter. For these reasons, it is important that we can accurately model the absorption coefficient of phytoplankton. Current methods to model the absorption coefficient of phytoplankton make use of empirical equations and parameters that were determined from the waters of their respective study areas and may not be universally applicable. Hence, in this study, we obtain lab measurements of water samples from field stations in Singapore to develop an alternate empirical relationship and parameters that are more representative of Singapore waters. Our results show that with this new empirical model, we are able to better estimate water quality parameters in Singapore using remote sensing.

Keywords: phytoplankton, water quality, empirical, modelling

Topic: Topic A: General Remote Sensing