Eight different mathematical formulations of the photosynthesis-light curve for phytoplankton
(up to and including light saturation) were recast in terms of the same two
parameters : the initial slope CY, and the assimilation number P,fiD. Each equation was
tested for its ability to describe empirical data from natural populations of marine phytoplankton:
the results of 188 light-saturation experiments at three coastal locations in
Nova Scotia over a 2-year period. The most consistently useful mathematical representation
of the data was found to be the hyperbolic tangent function.