An absorption‐based approach to improved estimates of phytoplankton biomass and net primary production

Abstract The abundance and productivity of phytoplankton constrain energy transfer through marine food webs and the export of organic carbon to the deep ocean. Bio‐optical measurements correlate well with phytoplankton carbon (Cphyto), but the effect of taxonomic variability on this relationship is still uncertain. Here, we explore how changes in phytoplankton community composition influence the relationship between the particulate backscatter coefficient (bbp) and Cphyto and present a new approach to estimate phytoplankton biomass more accurately using bbp. We found that using a fixed scaling factor for the conversion of bbp to Cphyto could lead to the underestimation or overestimation of biomass, depending on the dominant taxonomic group in the phytoplankton community. In addition, we demonstrate how a simple ratio of absorption at two wavelengths can be used to provide a coarse approximation of phytoplankton community composition when scaling bbp to Cphyto, thereby improving the estimation of net primary production.