Simulated laser fluorosensor signals from subsurface chlorophyll distributions

A semianalytic Monte Carlo model has been used to simulate laser fluorosensor signals returned from subsurface distributions of chlorophyll. This study assumes the only constituent of the ocean medium is the common coastal zone dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum. The concentration is represented by Gaussian distributions in which the location of the distribution maximum and the standard deviation are variable. Most of the qualitative features observed in the fluorescence signal for total chlorophyll concentrations up to 1.0 microg/liter can be accounted for with a simple analytic solution assuming a rectangular chlorophyll distribution function.