Optical efficiency factors of some phytoplankters1

Absorption and total scattering coefficients of four phytoplankton species grown in batch cultures were measured simultaneously. Backscattering coefficients were obtained by using an integrating sphere. These coefficients are transformed into specific coefficients, i.e. related to a unit of concentration in chlorophyll a, and also into dimensionless efficiency factors characteristic of the cells. The specific coefficients differ noticeably from one species to another. Total scattering and backscattering coefficients are clearly depressed near and inside the absorption bands. These minima can be interpreted by combining the theory of anomalous dispersion with Mie‐Lorentz theory applied to polydisperse suspensions. The backscattering efficiency (ratio of backseattering to total scattering) of algal cells appears to be very low (typically <0.1%). These different results must be taken into consideration when interpreting and modeling the optical properties of seawater, particularly ocean color. They also must be considered when modeling photosynthesis, since the variations in the light‐harvesting ability of the cells intervene directly in the quantum yield estimate.