Green Light as a Possible Pressing Factor for Oceanic Phytoplankton Near the Base of the Euphotic Zone

Optical characteristics of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and type III clean oceanic waters (as characterized by Jerlov) and the permanent presence of large amounts of phytoplankton near the base of the euphotic zone irrespective to the position of a nutricline enable the advancement of a hypothesis on the inhibiting action of green light on some deep-water species of phytoplankton. By numerical solution of the model equations, the appearance of a quasistationary distribution of phytoplankton at some fixed depth is demonstrated.