How do coccoliths affect light in the sea?

摘要

Abstract: Recent work has characterized the effect of coccoliths on the scattering coefficient at different wavelengths. This relationship has now been used in a sophisticated multi- component, multi-spectral Monte carlo optical model to estimate the effects of coccoliths on scalar irradiance, heating rate, vertical attenuation rate and emergent flux. the main effects of the coccoliths are outlined, and implications of these effects for phytoplankton productivity and biogeochemistry are discussed. !18