Description

Abstract: The potential of using Bannister’s linear equation (kt = kw + kcc) (where kt is the overall light

extinction coefficient, kw represents the non-phytoplankton light extinction, kc is the specific light extinction coefficient due to chlorophyll a (chla), c is the chla concentration, and kcc represents the light extinction due to chla) to partition sources of turbidity in Secchi disk visibility (SDV) measurements in aquaculture ponds was evaluated. Eight data sets from five sites around the world were used in the study. Chlorophyll a data were regressed against the overall light extinction coefficient determined from SDV measurements. The relationship between chla and overall light extinction coefficient was linear for seven of the eight data sets. The contribution of non-phytoplankton turbidity to SDV measurements was estimated by the intercept of the linear regression line (equivalent to kw). The values obtained (range = 3.61